Sonic Begins
by silencedfox86
Summary: An original retelling of how the legendary hedgehog discovered his gift of speed and became the hero of Mobius.
1. Prologue

**Hello reader and welcome to my 1st ever Sonic fan fic! This story will be an _original _****retelling of how Sonic the hedgehog became the legendary hero that he is. Now take in mind I will be changing a lot of the original elements from the classic story. I am very knowledgeable when it comes to the original story of sonic, weather it be the comic, or the games. So if it bothers you I'm changing some key parts of the Sonic universe, then you might have a problem reading this. If that doesn't concern you however, I'm sure you will enjoy the story I'm about to tell. Trust me though, I will keep all the characters true, and locations recognizable so the diehards (such as myself) out there can still enjoy it if you choose to read on! **

**Thanks For your time, and let me know what you think!**

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**Prologue**

_They say in life, you are given many choices. You are presented with many opportunities that will "shape your destiny" I guess you could say. _

Deep within a dark battle-torn factory, a young, battered, blue hedgehog laid unconscious, on the verge of death, amongst a fallen army of mangled robot warriors. Nothing but blaring emergency sirens could be heard as the ground shook from constant eruptions of overloaded machinery.

_I remember my father telling me that anything was possible, whatever I wanted from life, it was mine for the taking. _

A blaze of fire began to spread throughout the industrial complex, slowly engulfing everything in its path. Black smoke filled the air as the outbreak of the fire continued. The heat was tremendous, turning the factory into an oven of sorts. The building started to shake violently; debris falling from the ceiling above.

_He told me to never back down, never let anything get in my way. He told me to, "Blaze my own trail." _

_He made it sound like it would be so easy. _

The eyes of the fallen hedgehog slid open as he coughed and sputtered back to life. He choked on the thick smoke-filled air, causing his eyes to water and turn blood red. He couldn't make sense of any of it. He didn't know where he was or what had happened. His head was pounding harder than he had ever felt. The sheer intensity of the pain made him want to vomit. As the building around him continued to crumble, the hedgehog rolled on his stomach and struggled to his feet.

_It's really amazing how fast life can turn from perfect, to absolute hell. All the things you take for granted - your friends, your family, your home - can all be taken from you in the blink of an eye, without warning._

The hedgehog got to his feet and looked all around him in a panic, trying to figure out what was going on; he just couldn't remember. He was bloody and bruised; cuts and lacerations covered his body, and he felt like his head would explode at any moment from the jarring pain. A large piece of debris from above slammed into the ground nearby. One thing was for certain: this building was coming down, and he had to get out of there, fast.

_I never wanted this. I never had the desire to be what I have become. They all called me a freak. They said I didn't belong. And still, I sacrificed everything for them._

Clear on the other end of the factory, daylight was shining in from a large doorway, acting as the light at the end of the tunnel. The blue rodent stumbled towards it, and as the fire spread, many assorted machines began to explode all around him. Ignited scraps of twisted metal flew through the air with every thunderous blast. The hedgehog noticed the remains of destroyed robots scattered all over the concrete floor, at which point a vision of battle flashed in his head. He was the one that laid waste to these machines.

_My father would always say he saw something in me. He said I would do great things, no matter what path I chose to go down. This makes me wonder if he always knew. Maybe he did know about this "gift" I possess. _

The hedgehog continued to stumble through the flaming wreckage. He had barely enough energy to walk, let alone stand.

A familiar, yet sinister voice suddenly filled the entire building. "Hedgehog, mark my words. You will regret this event for the rest of your days. You have made a powerful enemy. You will not get away with this atrocity you have committed. If you leave this place, I will not rest until I hunt you down and claim your life. I will find you. Yes, even if it means watching everyone you care for die, one by one, in order for me to find you, so be it. Why don't you just give up already? This is just the beginning. You can't possibly envision yourself defeating me do you?"

_They say I'm a hero, they have told me I have done things no one would ever have the courage to do. I don't see it that way. I'm no hero. I only did what anyone else would do when your back is against the wall; when you have nothing left. I did this for me. When there's nothing more that can be taken from you, you don't need courage, because the fear is gone. I did what I did, because I had a death wish._

"Do what you must hedgehog, but we will meet again, mark my words rodent."

This time a robotic voice blared loud over what had to be the intercom, "Lock down sequence initiated."

The piercing sound of metal on metal ripped through the smoke filled factory. A large behemoth of a door slowly began to drop from above the illuminated exit on the far end. The hedgehog was still a several hundred feet from being out of the collapsing building. A huge steel beam fell from above, obliterating the concrete floor only but ten feet ahead of him. The impact of the beam caused the hedgehog to stumble to his knees. He looked up from his fall. The door was about halfway closed. Hope of escape was inevitably slipping from his grasp.

_They say in life, you're given many choices. You get to shape your own destiny. I don't believe that anymore. I believe we are all destined for something that we have no control over. I was never given a choice over what I have become. I was never given a choice whether or not to accept this overbearing responsibility that has been placed upon my shoulders._

He couldn't find the strength to go on. He just didn't have the energy. At this point, hope was just a memory, as he had lost all of it. Debris was falling like rain all around him now. This building was about to give out and collapse right on top of him. There was no way he could get enough speed to make it out in time. Maybe this was his time to die; maybe he wasn't meant to make it out alive.

_There was one bit of advice my father gave me that rang true. One of the most important gems of wisdom he passed on to me was this: "Never forget who you are."_

"SONIC!!" A distant voice cried out.

The hedgehog looked up from his defeated state and saw a small, orange, two-tailed fox standing at the door, hundreds of feet away. The terrified fox looked on as the inside of the large factory was slowly collapsing all around the fallen hedgehog. The fox quickly glanced up towards the descending door, now half way closed, looked back down towards his injured friend, and then back up at the door. It was about 50 feet from sealing the hedgehog's fate. He was too frightened to help, but he didn't know what to do, and he wasn't prepared to watch this particular life be claimed right before his eyes.

"SONIC PLEASE! GET UP! YOU CAN MAKE IT! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP LIKE THIS!" The little orange fox screamed his plea as loud as he possibly could.

_Sonic… that's what they call me. It's like I'm some superhero you read about in comic books… but like I said before, I'm no hero. I'm just unlucky. _

"Ugh! Dammit Sonic!" The fox threw aside his fear and decided to help his friend.

Using his two tails, he spun them about like a propeller, allowing him to take flight, safely passing over the flames and burning wreckage. Several steel ceiling support beams began to sporadically fall from above, destined to crush the flying fox in midair. Utilizing his innate agility, the fox was able to maneuver safely over to the hedgehog, who still laid dormant on the ground.

He landed next to the hedgehog and grabbed hold of his arm, desperately attempting to pull him to his feet. His efforts proved futile. The blue hedgehog came to for a moment and looked up at the panicked kit who was pulling on his arm while giving words of encouragement.

"Sonic, please! We have about a minute before that door closes! Come on! Please! Get up! I can't lose you like this!" He cried out, tears welling up in his eyes.

The hedgehog jerked his arm from the fox's grasp. "Tails, get outta here. Just go! I can't make it, just save yourself."

"You're just gonna give up like this? After everything you have taught me? You've always told _me_ to never give up! Sonic, don't you know how much Mobius needs you? Robotnik has destroyed so many of its cities, taken so many lives, and no one has ever had the courage to try too stop him. You're a hero, Sonic! If you don't choose to get up right now, we won't have any heroes left! We need you Sonic....You are the only hope for us!

_Like I said before, life isn't about choices. We all have a meaning, a set purpose, and no matter how much you think you have a say in the matter, you don't. _

"Remember what you told me Sonic?"

Exhausted, he looked up at Tails with defeated eyes.

Tails continued," You told me no matter what happens, don't forget who you are, and I haven't forgotten… but it looks like you have."

A array of deafening explosions went off, sending plums of smoke into the air, causing the entire factory to shake more violently than ever. The entire building started to collapse now, and the front entrance was about to be sealed off in a matter of seconds.

"COME ON, SONIC!" Tails flew off towards the exit with every ounce of effort in his body, but he was too late. He wasn't nearly fast enough to make it.

The hedgehog climbed to his feet as more of the building's debris fell all around him. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as the flames of the surrounding fires rose; steel crashing to the ground all around him. It was now or never.

Then it happened. The roof gave out, and it all came crashing down. Sonic saw Tails scream for his life as a 3-ton mass of steel fell towards him from above in slow motion.

_You want to know why they call me Sonic? _

_**SONIC BEGINS**_

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**And that's the prologue! (duh) **

**Chapter one is all finished up and should be edited and posted by no later than this coming Sunday night! (4-12-09)**

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are most welcome! **


	2. Chapter 1: Promises

_**Welcome to chapter 1! **_

**_Hope you enjoy,_**

**-SilencedFox**

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**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 1: Promises**

"Hey, Nick! Wake up!" A small voice whispered.

The eyes of a slumbering blue hedgehog slid open. Standing at this bedside was a much smaller, light blue hedgehog holding two fishing poles.

"Ugh, what time is it..." The older hedgehog groaned, throwing the sheets over his head.

"It's almost seven! Come on Nick! You said you would go fishing with me! Get outta bed! You promised!"

The little one decided his older brother wasn't understanding of the matter's urgency. He ran over to the curtains covering his sibling's bedroom window and threw them open. The blinding rays of the morning sun flooded into the once dark bedroom.

Nick held the sheets tight over his head trying to block out the bright daylight. Suddenly, his sheets were yanked right off his bed. The piercing rays of light punched him right in the face. His head jerked as he slammed his eyes shut. He continued to curl up into a ball on his side, his head smothered in his pillow.

"Alex...." The older hedgehog growled out with frustration.

"_NICK_!! You _SAID_!"

"I _KNOW_. But do we have to go this early?!", he replied, his voice muffled under the pillow.

"Ya dummy! You said fishing's best early in the morning!" Alex replied.

"Alex, just let me sleep one more hour...please..."

The child scrunched his brow. Now he was more determined than ever to get his brother out of bed.

Alex hopped up on his brother's bed and started jumping up and down, "Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up WAKE _UP_!"

"ALRIGHT YOU LITTLE PUNK I'M UP!" Nick yelled at the top of his lungs as he sat up, throwing his pillow across the room.

The little hedgehog was startled by the outburst. His ears were backwards and he was now dead silent.

Alex quickly scrambled off his brother's bed, tears welling up in his eyes. "How come you gotta yell at me even after you promised?!" He snatched up his fishing pole from the ground. "I'll just go by myself."

The little hedgehog sniffled and wiped his nose as he headed towards the doorway. He turned toward his irritated brother and scowled, "Jerk." Then he slammed the door behind him as he left the room.

Nick let out a sigh and hung his head, "Nice one. Yelled at my twelve year-old-brother. Real mature, Nick." He said to himself.

He hung his legs over the side of his bed, gave his arms a good stretch, and let out a yawn in the process. Then he hopped to his feet on the hard wooden floor, nearly stepping on the fishing pole that was left behind. He picked up the fishing rod, and walked over to his bedroom window. Being on the 2nd floor of his home, he was able to see out of his window onto the front porch below.

He didn't see his little brother outside, "Maybe dad stopped him at the door," He thought.

He glanced up from the ground below and looked off into the picture perfect view his village was privileged to have. Over the rooftops of the other wooden homes, about half a mile away from Nick's window, was the coast of the Mobius Ocean. Unscathed by any type of pollution, the waters of the vast ocean were crystal clear and full of thriving aquatic life forms of all kinds. The coast was also thick with lush, tropical plant life that covered the rolling green hills. The rising sun glistened on the tranquil waters of the Mobius ocean and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. For the residents of this coastal village, days like this were hardly in short supply.

Nick sighed, "Another day in Green Hill Village."

Suddenly the sound of the front porch door slamming grabbed his attention. Down below he saw his little brother stomp his way down the front walk towards the cobblestone roads of the village.

Nick dropped the fishing pole and bolted out of his room. He couldn't let his brother leave the house by himself like that; his father would kill him. As he ran down the upstairs hallway the floor boards squeaked loudly beneath his feet. He passed by his brother's messy room and also by this parents' room. His parents' bedroom door was closed. He thought perhaps they were still sleeping, which would explain why no one stopped Alex. He hurried down the spiral staircase at the end of the hall to the kitchen below. He stomped down the last two steps and saw something that made him freeze in his tracks. It was his father, sitting at the kitchen table, pealing an orange for breakfast. He was a much older hedgehog. His quills were a dark shade of blue just like Nick's, but the tips were beginning to grow gray with his old age.

He just sat there, tending to his piece of fruit, not acknowledging his son just entered the room.

Nick walked up to the table, "Uh, morning... Dad. Did you say it was okay for Alex to go out by himself?"

The elder hedgehog cleared his throat, and replied with a gruff, "Nope."

"Well, didn't you see him walk by and slam the door on the way out?"

Without looking up from his breakfast, "Yep." He added.

"Well...why didn't you stop him?!" Nick demanded to know.

The old hedgehog looked up at his son, "Because I'm tired of making you two play nice all the time. So why don't you start acting like an adult, Nick, and stop flipping out on your little brother."

"Well I'm sorry! I get a little impatient when the little creep wakes me up at the butt-crack of dawn to go fishing!"

Irritated with his son's tone, he glared at the boy, and scrunched his brow, "So how old are you going to be next week Nick?"

"Uhh, eighteen."

"WELL START ACTING LIKE IT!" he yelled, causing Nick's ear's to flip backwards as he cowered from his father's shouting.

"Now go get Alex!" he snapped.

"Y..yes sir.." He timidly replied, avoiding eye contact with his irritated father.

He slowly made his way towards the front door with his head down.

Noticing his son's lack of urgency in the matter, the aged hedgehog leaped to his feet; the legs of his chair grinding against the floor as it scooted back.

His father's sudden movement startled the unsuspecting Nick.

"MOVE IT!" he yelled, pointing towards the door.

"Okay okay! I'm going! You don't have to yell at me!"

Nick ran up to his to his shoes that were placed by the front door. These were his one and only pair.

"And you didn't have to yell at Alex either."

The young hedgehog slipped on his red and white sneakers and then stood up, facing his father who had his arms crossed and a very unpleasant look upon his face.

Nick shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Okay, I get it! I'm sorry."

His father pointed towards the door, " Go...get...your brother."

Nick let out a frustrated sigh, and made his way out the front door. He made his way across the front walk, which was just a fine dirt path that lead to the street. On both sides of the walk, the ground was thick with green grass and many assorted flowers. His mother loved to tend to their garden.

Nick stopped half way down the walk and turned back towards the house, finding his father now standing on the front porch.

"What if I can't find him?" Nick called out.

"I really doubt he got too far. What, you forget we're hedgehogs? We aren't exactly the fastest things alive, Nick."

"Whatever." Nick mumbled under his breath.

"He's probably heading down the to the river anyway, so go look for him there."

Nick just nodded and turned away to begin the search for his younger sibling.

He walked to the end of the front walk and stopped at a small wooden gate. He swung it open and stepped out onto the roads of Green Hill Village. Being as early as it was, the village was very quiet and not many had ventured out of their homes to greet the day. Nick began to walk north towards the river that ran into the Mobius ocean. The sun was rising in the east, painting shadows all over the ground. Nick could hear various tropical birds singing their songs as he walked through the sleepy settlement. The air was crisp with the clean ocean scent that was all but too familiar.

He continued to pass through Green Hill, heading towards the riverbanks.

As he passed by one of the many homes that were scattered all over the village, he heard his name called out.

"Nick! What's up bro?"

Nick turned his head towards the voice.

Standing at the gate of the home he was passing by stood a red hedgehog that was about his height.

"Ed! Hey man, what's up? What are you doing up so early?" Nick asked with a laugh.

"Gotta get up early so I can go to work with my old man, I'm waiting for him."

Nick walked over to the fence, and greeted his friend with their usual fist bump.

"Oh yeah that's right, you're still working at his shop?"

"As always. I'm getting tired of it though." Ed replied.

Ed's father was a carpenter and had a very successful business due to the fact that almost everything in Green hill village was made from the wood he prepared.

Nick rested his arm on the fence and sighed.

"You alright?" Ed asked raising one brow.

Nick shook his head, "I'm alright, it's just....I yelled at my little brother, and then my dad chewed me out for it, and now I'm trying to find him."

"I'm so glad I don't have a little brother." Ed laughed.

"Yeah? I wish I could say the same." Scoffed the blue hedgehog.

"Oh come on dude, don't say that. I mean, I guess it would be kinda cool. You know, because he looks up to you and stuff."

"Yeah, he does. It gets annoying though, like this morning. He wakes me up at the crack of dawn because I promised him we would go fishing."

Ed tilted his head, "And did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Promise?"

Nick sighed, "Yeah I did. I just didn't think he would wake me up so freakin early."

"Bummer."

"Yeah, but I kinda yelled at him, and he got all hurt, and now I'm out here looking for him....Did you see him?"

"Nah, I just came outside not too long ago. I didn't see him."

"Crap. Well, he's probably down by the river by now so I gotta get going dude."

"No worries, same. I don't know what's taking my old man so long so I'm gonna go check it out."

Ed held out his fist and Nick bumped it once more.

"Catch you later bro, good luck with all the little brother stuff." said the red hedgehog.

Nick cracked a smile and rolled his eyes, "Thanks. Later dude."

The blue hedgehog started to make his way towards the river once more, but stopped when he heard his friend yelling for him.

"Hey Nick! We still gonna make that trip to Mobotropolis?"

Nick turned and yelled back, "Next week! After my birthday! Let's do it!"

"Woo! Freakin' sweet dude! 'Bout time you turned 18 too!"

"Yeah, tell me about it! We'll talk more about it tonight!"

"Cool bro, later!" Ed waved goodbye and then went back inside his home to look for his father.

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A tiny blue hedgehog sat on the shore of the Green Hill River. He had a fishing pole in hand, and his eyes were moist with innocent tears.

He gave a quick sniffle and wiped a tear that slid down his face, "Stupid Nick, he says we can fish, then yells at me. Hmph."

Suddenly the young hedgehog heard something shuffle through the thick tropical foliage behind him.

He looked over his shoulder with a nervous look on his face. Then his expression turned to anger when he saw it was his brother Nick making all the noise.

Nick let out a sigh of relief, "Oh man, _there_ you are."

Alex turned away from his brother, "Lemme-alone!" He pouted.

The older hedgehog knew he had to make this right. He realized that he was really out of place yelling at his little brother like he did.

Nick sat beside Alex on the sandy shore of the river.

Alex scooted away from his brother and then shot him an angry look.

Nick bit his lip and wrapped his arms around his legs, holding them close to his chest.

He looked into the crystal clear waters of the river and could see many assorted fish swimming about beneath its surface. A gentle breeze blew, the many assorted plant life danced and swayed, and the sky above became a brighter shade of blue with each passing moment the sun climbed into the sky.

Nick sat quietly and took in the sites of the beautiful place he lived in and then felt a bit of sadness for his little brother.

They live in a near-perfect world. Why would he ruin it for his little brother?

He wasn't sure what to do about it, however, he was certain a simple apology probably wouldn't suffice.

It was worth an effort though.

"Hey, Alex." Nick said, trying to get his angry sibling's attention.

Alex just ignored him, keeping his angry eyes on the water before him.

Nick shuffled towards his brother. In return, the little hedgehog moved away from his older brother once more.

Nick sighed, "_This is going to be tough_." He thought to himself.

"So...You caught anything yet?" asked the older hedgehog.

Alex shrugged and leered at his brother, "No."

The little hedgehog rolled his eyes and then jerked his fishing rod, "Come on stupid fish! Get caught!!"

Sudden splashes sent ripples through the tranquil river causing the fish beneath to scatter everywhere.

"Take it easy, Alex! You're not gonna catch any fish if you don't have the patience to!" Nick snapped.

Alex turned towards Nick and threw his fishing rod on the ground, "What do _you_ know about patience!?"

Nick was taken back by the comment his little brother made. Sometimes Alex said insightful things you wouldn't expect a child to say.

"You don't have any patience when it comes to your own little brother! You're just getting all old and stupid! You want nothing to do with me! You never wanna play with me! Then you tell me we will go fishing today, and _then_ you yell at me! You do this all the time!" Alex screamed at his older brother.

"Alex! I'm..."

"No! You're nothing! Nothing but a big jerk! I hate you! Just go home and lemme-alone!"

The frustrated little hedgehog rushed up and tried to shove Nick away, furthering his point that he wants his brother to leave. Being twice the size of his younger brother, Nick didn't budge - at least not physically.

With that small insignificant push, Nick became a little further from his brother emotionally.

The feeling was mutual.

Alex turned away, stomping off towards the ocean coast with tears in his eyes.

This time however, Nick wasn't just going to let his brother slip away. He wasn't going to continue ruining his relationship with Alex.

Nick leaped to his feet, "Alex I'm _sorry_! Please... I just, I don't know why I yelled at you this morning, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I'm just....I'm sorry, okay?

Alex stopped dead in his tracks, "No, you're not. Hmph. You don't mean it."

Nick ran up next to his brother and kneeled down next to him. He placed his hand on his shoulder and looked into his little brother's uncertain eyes, "Of course I mean it. Look, I've just been really stressed out lately. You know I'm going to be eighteen soon, and there's just a lot on my mind. There's so much pressure from dad about me getting out in the world and making something of myself. You know....the whole _grownup_ thing."

Alex wiped his nose and nodded in agreement.

"Alex, it's not that I don't wanna spend time with you, I've just been so busy with everything I feel like I don't get any time to just relax. So that's probably why I get impatient with you, and I'm sorry. It's like I'm taking my frustrations out on you, and that's just totally bogus of me. Hey, you're the only little brother I'll ever have! I don't think I can promise that I won't ever lose my patience again, but I can promise that I'll never let anything happen to you. _Never_. And I'll try to be here for you when you need me. _Always. _From now on - even though I know I'm going to regret this - as long as I'm still around we can go fishing every morning, anytime you want. How's that sound?"

"You really mean it?" Alex timidly replied.

Nick smiled, "Dude! Of course! You're my little bro!"

Alex smiled and embraced his older brother.

It seems forgiveness wasn't in short supply after all.

"So, we cool?" Nick asked.

Alex stepped back and nodded, "Yeah, we're cool, _dude_."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Oh man, you gonna start talking like me now?"

The little hedgehog laughed, "Yeah! I want you to talk like that around me more. It's way...uhh, what do you say around your friends?"

Nick raised one brow, "You mean, _way_ past cool?"

"Yeah! That's it! _Way_ past cool! Haha."

Alex snatched up his fishing pole from the sandy shore and asked, "So can we go fishing now?"

Nick laughed, "Yeah, Let's do it to it....Oh _man_, my rod's at home though."

"Well, then I'll race you there, slowpoke!" The little hedgehog sprinted back towards their village.

"Haha… Hold up, _blue streak_." Nick said, chasing after Alex.

He did it. Finally he did some good when it came to his little brother. He always failed to realize how much Alex looked up to him. Nick was like a superhero in the little one's eyes. The little hedgehog would try to emulate him by copying all the things his big brother would do. Nick failed to see how hurtful it is when you get rejected by the person you idolize.

Nick made a promise to his little brother, and he planned on keeping it. He would always protect him, always be there, and....he would go fishing with him - every morning.

As he ran after Alex, Nick cringed at the idea of getting up at the crack of dawn every day.

It didn't seem like such a bad idea, however. Soon he would be leaving his village, on the path of making a new life for himself. It was his rites of passage. Everyone had to do it sooner or later. So, the idea of enjoying the morning sun and spending each day with the most care-free person he knew sounded better and better as he thought about it.

Nick wished that he could live in this blissful daydream-of-a-life forever.

If he only knew that tonight was the night that his perfect dream would turn into an undying nightmare.

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**Thanks for reading, Chapter 2 should be finished by next week. **

**As always Reviews are much appreciated! **


	3. Chapter 2: Run

_**Authors note: It's finally here! I'm sure a lot of you were wonder if I was going to update at all... But from now on updates will be more frequent and on time! **_

_**I would like to thank everyone who is reading and leaving reviews, you guys are awesome and keep me writing! I would also like to give a shout out to Blue Phoenix. Her story "Generation Beta" has been huge inspiration to take my writing above and beyond. Seriously, she is a brilliant writer. So go read her work!**_

_**Hope you enjoy and on with the show. We still have a long way to go....**_

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**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 2: Run**

"So it's official. You, me, Mobotroplis - next week! Oh man, I can't wait!"

Two friends walked down the roads of Green Hill. Two hedgehogs. One blue. One red.

"Nick, I feel like I've had to wait an eternity for you to turn eighteen! Seriously dude, it has been quite the wait." Said the red hedgehog.

Nightfall had descended upon the land and the moon was now well into it's clockwork ascent into the sky above.

"Dude, you're only like, four years older than me. It hasn't been _that _long!" The blue hedgehog replied.

The night's air was crisp with the faint scent of the ocean. Palm trees swayed in unison with every gust of wind that passed.

"Ha! Four years is a long time Nick, but like I was saying earlier, you are going to be an adult! You finally get to leave this place and live your own life! You gotta be stoked." Said Ed.

Above the trees and to the west, a thick layer of clouds was approaching. It began to look like a thunderstorm was rolling in, the wind blowing stronger as the distant storm drew closer inland.

"Yeah, it does sound awesome." Nick sighed. "But to be honest, I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do. I mean, I haven't even thought about it! Dude, and my _father, _he has really been on me about this!"

Ed laughed, "Yeah, I know how that is, but I think that's just the _way _of the Dad. I remember going through the same thing."

The two arrived at Ed's house and leaned on the front gate. They both peered up into the endless abyss of darkness that was the night's sky.

There were so many stars, more than one could even begin to count. Hundreds of thousands of small specks of light, each one billions of miles away.

Ed let out a deep sigh, "Make's you feel insignificant huh?"

Nick glanced at his friend, "Hmm?"

"Well, you look up on a night like this, or any night for that matter, and you see all those stars. They're all so far away. Each one millions and billions of miles apart from us and each other. I mean, dude, space is so _big, _and here we stand, looking up into it, like how tiny ants would be looking up at us, or something. It's like I wonder why we try so hard to make all our dreams come true, but in the big picture of things, none of it matters because we are so small."

Nick awkwardly cleared his throat, unsure of how to reply to his friend. "Well, I'm _really _excited for my birthday now." Nick's sarcasm was hard to miss.

Ed laughed, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. You know what I mean. I wasn't trying to bring you down or anything."

Nicked smiled and rolled his eyes before looking up into the sky once more. "Yeah I know… I'm just not used to hearing about these things that keep you up in the middle of the night."

"I'm just keeping it real, man."

The two hedgehogs just stood there, resting their backs against the fence, enjoying the tranquility of the night.

"You know," Nick began, "Sometimes I envy my little brother."

"Why's that?" Ed asked.

"Well you know, here we are talking about how nothing really matters or whatever, and my little brother is at home probably laying awake in bed because he's so excited to go finishing again tomorrow."

"You're taking him again?"

"Umm, don't ask… But like I was saying, I envy my brother because to him, his whole world is just our village. He doesn't worry about tomorrow, he doesn't worry about what kinda job he's gonna get or if he's gonna go to college, or any of that stuff. He just wants to go fishing with his big brother. That's his entire world."

"That must be nice." Ed replied.

Nick nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, he's thinking about fishing with me and I'm thinking about the rest of my life. Big difference there."

"Come on dude, don't sweat it. Just take it one day at a time. I think you're letting your dad get under your skin. Just enjoy life as it comes to you! Roll with the changes; keep your head up and your eyes open. You'll be fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just stressing too much. I feel like I need to make this huge impact on the world or something by next week!" Nick laughed.

"Well, we could start a band." Ed suggested.

"Ha! What?" Nick raised one brow at his friend, "Your ideas are just get better and better."

"No dude, come on! I'll learn to play the drums, and you can play guitar and sing! It will be freaking sweet! Dude, we can write songs about how stuff just doesn't matter, or not giving up the good fight against the man, or whatever. Everyone can relate to that! We'll be rockstars."

"You know I can't sing."

Ed let out a sly chuckle, "Dammit, Nick. Smashed my dreams again."

"I don't even know what I _am _good at." Nick sighed.

"Don't worry bro," Ed placed his hand upon Nick's shoulder, "You'll figure it out, one way or another."

The sound of thunder rumbled of in the distance.

"Well, that's my cue. It's probably gonna start raining soon." said Ed.

"Yeah, I should get going. It's late." Nick added.

They gave their usual fist bump.

"Catch you later Nick. We can talk more tomorrow about this life stuff."

"Cool man. Say 'hi' to your dad for me." Said Nick.

"Will do. You do the same. Say 'hi' to your folks for me. Later, Nick." The red hedgehog passed though his front gate and walked towards his home.

Nick watched his friend wander down his front walk for a moment then turned away to begin his own walk home.

The clouds were now gathering overhead, blocking out the stars and the moon that hung in the sky.

Now Nick's mind was muddied with heavy thoughts.

Would he ever make a difference in this world? What was the point of even trying?

The soft pitter-patter of rain began to surround Nick.

Maybe Ed was right though. Maybe he shouldn't worry so much about it. Perhaps things would just happen for him, just like they do for some people.

The rainfall became even steadier as time passed.

Nick picked up the pace. "Man, I really hope Alex doesn't make us go fishing in the rain."

--

--

Outside Nick's window rain poured down from the heavens.

It was just past midnight and the storm was now right over Green Hill in full force. It appeared to be a larger, more powerful storm than predicted.

Nick laid in bed, tossing and turning, trying to stay warm under his sheets.

He rested on his side, facing the window, and watched as the raindrops washed over the glass.

A blinding flash of light came and went.

"_Here it comes." _Nick thought.

Then the sound of thunder exploded from the sky above, causing the house to rattle from the blast.

Nick glanced at his clock.

12:14

"Ugh, I hate..._rain._" Nick groaned as he held his pillow over his head.

Within a few moments another flash of lighting lit up the sky, and then almost immediately after, thunder shook the house once more. The loud clap caused an unsuspecting Nick to nearly leap out of bed.

The worst of the storm was right overhead now.

Just then, something caught Nick's attention.

In the darkness he noticed his bedroom door was slightly cracked and a set of frightened eyes were watching him.

"Alex?" Nick whispered.

The door slowly opened a little further and the little hedgehog crept into the room.

Nick sat up as his brother approached him, the little one clutching his favorite stuffed toy.

"What are you doing up, little bro?" Nick asked.

"The thunder, it's...I don't like it. I just wanted to see if...if you were awake too."

Nick gave a sympathetic smile towards his frightened sibling.

He motioned his brother over by patting his hand on the bed, "Come on, climb up."

Alex smiled and accepted Nick's invitation.

The little hedgehog now sat next to his brother, feeling a lot safer than before.

Nick looked over at Alex and grinned, "So, you still scared?"

Alex scrunched his brow, "Huh? Nuh-uh, I wasn't...I wasn't scared! I was just seeing if you were scared!"

Nick chuckled, "Right… Okay, I gotcha. You came to check on _me_.... Not even a little scared?"

Alex shook his head, "Nope, not even a..."

Catching the two off guard, thunder erupted once more. Another repeat of nature's power was demonstrated, this time shaking the house's foundation.

"AHHH!!" Alex jumped in fear, grabbed hold of his older brother, and buried his face into Nick's side.

The small, frightened hedgehog let out a pathetic whimper.

Nick embraced his brother, "Heyyyy, it's okay. You're fine Alex, you're okay."

Alex looked up at his brother, "I lied, I'm s..scared."

Nick held in a laugh, "I know you are, it's okay...."

The little hedgehog pulled away from his brother and tapped on his arm.

Nick looked over, "What's up?"

"I'm....I'm sorry I got mad at you, and called you names this morning. It was really mean. I'm s...sorry, Nick." Alex timidly apologized.

The older hedgehog was genuinely touched by his little brother's unnecessary apology.

"It's okay," Nick sighed, "I was the one who was mean. I yelled at you first. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"But...But you already said you were sorry. Now it's my turn too say sorry, too." Said Alex.

Nick raised his brow, "Did Dad talk to you?"

The little one shook his head.

Nick smiled, "Well, thanks little bro. I accept your apology." He placed his hand on Alex's shoulder.

They both sat for a moment, listening to the rain beat against the glass window.

Then Nick broke the silence, "You still scared of the thunder?"

His little brother simply nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll tell you what… Go get your sleeping bag. You can sleep in my room tonight. How does that sound?"

Alex's face instantly lit up, "R..Really?"

"Of course! But don't get use to it okay?"

"Way past cool!" Alex jumped off Nick's bed and ran off to collect his sleeping bag and pillow.

Nick was pleased with himself, "_I think I'm finally getting the hang of this big brother stuff_." He thought to himself.

Suddenly, another blast of thunder and lighting permeated the night.

They were becoming more constant with each passing moment.

Nick sat and waited for his little brother. The little hedgehog seemed to be taking a bit longer than expected.

Suddenly another thunderous eruption from the sky rang out. Nick's house shook with the intensity of an earthquake.

"Holy crap, what was that?!" Nick said aloud.

Was it the thunder? He had never in his life experienced an earth rattling sound like that before.

Suddenly, Alex returned to Nick's room with a terrified look on his face.

He didn't have his sleeping bag, his pillow, or even his stuffed toy. Something was wrong.

The little hedgehog ran over and clung onto his brother; he was terrified. "Nick! Why did the house shake like that?"

"I don't...It..It was just thunder, Alex. It's just a really powerful storm. Don't worry Alex, we're fine."

They both looked up towards the window and saw another flash of lighting.

Alex clung even harder to Nick, waiting for the blast of thunder.

When the flash of lighting occurred, however, Nick could swear he saw something outside his window. Something dark and looming, like a figure passing through the fog. It was massive.

Unfortunately, Alex saw it too, "Nick, was that...That was a monster! It was so b..BIG!" The little hedgehog was scared out of his wits.

Thunder boomed.

"I don't know Alex, I don't...."

The house started to shake. This time it was like an earthquake, constant and steady rather than a quick jolt.

"Nick! I'm scared!" Alex whimpered out as he clung to his brother.

Nick wouldn't admit it, but he was too.

"Alex, just sit here! Don't move!" Nick stood from the bed and slowly approached the window as his furniture shook and rattled all around him. Something just didn't feel right. This was no earthquake.

He peered through glass, but the fog was so thick outside he couldn't see a thing.

Just then he heard something; something that tied his stomach in knots.

The sound of screaming…

The sound of grinding metal…

The sound of wood being smashed…

And a certain sound he just couldn't place…

It almost sounded like the groan of some kind, from an animal or creature of sorts.

Was he dreaming? Was this a nightmare?

The house started to shake even harder; another massive dark figure moved pass his window.

Nick took a few steps back, his nerves tight from shock and disbelief, "What is going on?!"

He turned to Alex, still sitting on his bed, "Alex, let's go see Mom and Dad… Right now, come on!"

Alex didn't even respond. He was petrified by something. His eyes were wide and his hands were trembling. He wouldn't even mutter a single word.

"Alex? What's wrong?"

Nick took a step towards his little brother.

Alex lifted his arm and pointed past Nick toward the window.

"Ni...Nick..." He stammered out.

Nick slowly turned around towards the window once more and saw.... nothing. Nothing but rain and fog could be seen beyond the window.

He looked back as his little brother. Alex was now in tears, backed into the corner of his bed, trying to become small as possible.

Nick took another step towards his terrified little brother, "Alex....Alex, what did you see?"

And with that question, the nightmare began.

Through the roof above, a massive tentacle-like arm smashed through the ceiling.

It hissed and moaned like a piece of heavy machinery, yet howled and groaned like some kind of creature.

Alex screamed for his life.

Nick was frozen in shock.

At the end of the massive arm was some sort of claw adorned with dozens of robotic eyes.

They looked everywhere and in almost every direction. In an instant, they fixed their attention on one thing.

"ALEX!!!"

Like a coiled snake, the arm unraveled and lunged at the little hedgehog, using it's crude metallic claw to grab a hold of him.

"NOOOO!!" Nick ran for his brother but it was too late.

In a flash, Alex was taken.

The arm reeled back up through the roof with the prize it sought after.

Nick watched as his screaming little brother was pulled through the gaping hole in the ceiling. In moments the captive had disappeared into the clouds.

"ALEX!!! ALEX!!! Oh my god...Oh my... No, no.... That didn't just happen!!...What is going on!?!" Nick felt like he was loosing his mind.

The deafening screams. They were coming from everywhere now. They almost seemed to drown out the rainstorm's fury.

"MOM, DAD!" Nick ran for his parent's room.

He threw open the door to their bedroom, only to find exactly what he didn't want to see.

Two massive holes were punched through the ceiling. Rain was pouring from above, soaking an empty, smashed bed below.

They were gone.

"No...NO....THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!!" Nick screamed.

Nick stumbled back in the hallway, fell to his knees, and put his hands over his head.

He began to sob hysterically. His mind was on the verge of cracking from the insanity of the nightmare that had been bestowed upon his village, "No... no.. no, no, no, this isn't happening… This is just a dream. A dream! Please, please wake up.... please."

His family was gone, taken by some creature… some machine.

He could still hear the screams of others from outside; it was happening all over his village.

Suddenly, at the end of the hallway, another tentacle like arm smashed right through the wall.

Nick slowly looked up and saw it slowly drawing closer, bobbing and weaving through the air, closing in on its prey.

A feeling of fear came over the hedgehog, one that he has never felt before.

The mechanical appendage zeroed in on Nick and reared up like a cobra, preparing to strike.

"Come on...do it...just take me." They had already taken everything from him. He felt the only way he might be with his family again was to allow his own capture.

The many sets of cybernetic eyes focused and zoomed in on the hedgehog.

Nick clenched his fists and screamed with tears in his eyes, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!"

The claw opened on the end of the arm and the machine lunged forward with a deafening beast like roar.

But as it did, something unthinkable happened.

Nick watched as it charged towards him, however, it grew slower and slower with each passing moment.

"What the...." Nick didn't expect this to happen. Was it malfunctioning?

Then a sense of peace came over the hedgehog. It almost felt as if time was slowing down.

He glanced to his right, through his parents' doorway, and saw raindrops falling through the ceiling above in slow motion. He could see each drop in great detail as they splashed all over his parents' destroyed bedroom.

Then he got to his feet and simply moved out of the way of the machines path.

Then time seemed to catch up, and with the force of a freight train the arm smashed right through the floorboards.

The machine let out a haunting groan as it trashed about and tried to break free; it seamed to be stuck.

"How did I...? What just…" Nick was lost for words.

The mechanical arm started to retract from the hole it just punched in the floor.

Nick bolted for his room, and then for his window.

For some reason, his instincts put one thing on his mind. _Run._

He pushed open the window and climbed out onto the roof.

Then it all came clear to him. He realized exactly what has happening to his village.

He saw all the horrors that were unfolding upon his home.

Squid-like creatures flew overhead. They were everywhere, some with claws full of screaming villagers, others drilling into homes looking to claim its victims inside.

His village was being harvested for its people.

Nick looked up at the sky and saw something that made his jaw drop.

Looming overhead was massive aircraft that nearly covered his entire village.

The squid-like creatures seamed to be returning back to some kind of airship with the prizes they claimed.

Nick felt helpless. There was nothing he could do. He just couldn't wake up from this nightmare.

He jumped down from the roof, and as he stumbled when he hit the ground, he looked back and saw the massive squid-like creature that had invaded his own home.

The rain wasn't falling anymore. The flying fortress above nearly blocked out the entire sky.

Suddenly, all the remaining arms of the squid-like machine tried to reach for Nick.

The hedgehog ran for his life.

He jumped over his fence and ran for the forest.

All around him, houses were being destroyed; people he knew all his life were screaming as they were being plucked right from their homes. It was just insanity. It was just unreal.

Nick never looked back. He just ran and ran. He had no idea, nor did he care if that machine was still chasing him.

He just ran.

Before he knew it, he was at the forest.

He sprinted through the trees and through the dark tropical foliage.

The shear adrenaline rush of fear pulsed through his veins, and then strangely an unfamiliar sensation came over his entire body.

With each step he took, it almost felt like he as moving faster; now even faster.

The screams behind him grew faint.

All around him, the forest became nothing but a blur.

It was the same feeling he had when he dodged being captured moments ago.

It was almost euphoric. He felt like he was in control of everything around him, almost like he was bending time itself.

He heard the wind howl in his ears as he tore through it.

This couldn't be… this had to be a dream. He was moving so... _fast_.

Then it all came to a grinding halt.

The mangled roots of a dead tree had tripped him up, sending him sailing through air.

It was all just a panicked blur, a big mesh of dark colors as the jungle tumbled in his vision.

He sailed right over the side of a cliff; a cliff he had no idea he was headed for.

Screaming for his life, he thrashed and clawed, trying to grab hold of anything as he tumbled through the air.

In an instant, he slammed right into a rocky slope below and began to tumble down the cliff's side.

He rolled over a myriad of broken branches and jagged rocks. The pain was intense.

Then once more, he began free falling.

The hedgehog tumbled off yet another cliff, plunging hundreds of feet towards a raging river below.

It seamed to all happen so fast. One moment he was sitting with his little brother, comforting him from the storm, and now he was crashing towards what could be a watery grave.

There was a good chance of surviving the fall into the river, aside from the fact that he couldn't swim; he never learned how.

All he wanted to do was wake up, to be free of this nightmare.

No such luck.

Nick closed his eyes and prepared himself for what was to come.

He fell right into the raging waters below, becoming completely submerged beneath the surface.

It carried him downstream beneath the darkness of the night.

He flailed his arms about as he tumbled through the powerful current; there was no way he could fight it.

Nick waited for death. He knew he was going to drown, but he still battled for his life. He wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Visions of his brother being taken from him flashed through his mind. He didn't even get to see his parents one last time before they were stolen away.

He felt like he let his brother down. He promised he would never let anything happen to him, but there was really nothing he could do; he was powerless against the atrocity that his village had witnessed.

They were gone, maybe forever.

Nick had no idea where he was. Given the direction the water was flowing, this wasn't the river near his village. It was taking him miles away from Green Hill.

Nearly all the energy he had left in him was completely drained from his body. He was nothing more than a lost twig being washed down stream.

He was now at the mercy of river.

Suddenly, Nick felt his head smash against a rock beneath the turbulent dark waters of the river.

In a matter of seconds, it all faded to black. The consciousness stolen from the boy acted as a symbol. An exclamation point at the end of his life as an average hedgehog, one whose name no one knew.

But in time, they will know his name. They all will.

And they will never forget it.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading! More to come soon. Reviews are always appreciated.**_


	4. Chapter 3: Please Accept This Honor

**Sonic Begins**

Chapter 3: Please Accept This Honor

Nick's eyes flew open accompanied by a sharp gasp of air.

His body was painfully sore all over and the back of his head was throbbing.

Out of focus his eyes remained as he tried to make out his surroundings.

Nick laid on his back on what felt like a sandy surface, and he could hear the river calmly washing downstream nearby.

He stared upwards towards the tree tops. Massive pine trees loomed overhead, the faint dawn sky beyond the branches.

"_Am I dead?" _he thought.

He tried to move.

"Arrgghh." Pain surged through his sore body as he attempted to sit up.

He was far from death.

Fighting through the pain, he managed to sit upright. Nick's head was throbbing with a nauseating intensity. His vision started to become a bit clearer which revealed a sudden revelation: he had no idea where he was.

Nick found himself on a riverbank in the middle of what had to be the Great Mobian Forest. It was a woodland landscape rather than the tropical jungles of Green Hill he was used to.

The hedgehog couldn't believe he was still alive, not after what happened...

"_Oh no...No! It wasn't a dream?!_" Nick thought.

Given his current setting, it was pretty obvious the horrific events from the night before did indeed happen. All the terrible visions of his brother being taken, his mother and father gone, and his entire village being attacked by those creatures flashed before his eyes.

Nick staggered to his feet, fighting the pain of nearly every joint of his body refusing to move. He felt like he was going to be sick. He didn't know where he was, what happened to his family, or even what was going to happen to him.

Nick had no idea what to do.

A cold shiver ran down his spine, followed by the thoughts of his lost family. Were they gone forever? What were those things taking his people? All he knew was that it couldn't be good and only the worst scenarios came to mind.

Reality just came crashing down upon the hedgehog.

He couldn't take the sudden bombardment of emotion that came over him.

Nick didn't feel safe anymore. Not after what happened last night.

Those things could be out there, looking for him. Or, an even worse thought crossed his mind: maybe they were watching him already and preparing to strike.

Nick felt like he was going to throw up from this sudden fever of paranoia and anxiety that tied his stomach in knots.

The hedgehog was lost and all alone in this never ending forest that surrounded him.

Fortunately for Nick, however, only one of those details was true.

When Nick turned away from the river before him, he saw something, or rather, someone, that he wasn't quite expecting to be there.

He wasn't alone after all.

Standing timidly before the exhausted hedgehog was an orange fox, staring up at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. His fur was ragged and dirty. He shook nervously and was about a foot shorter than Nick.

Nick froze, meeting eyes with the vulpine.

A crooked smile appeared on the fox's face as a tear streamed down his cheek. He lunged forward and threw his arms around Nick, nearly bursting into tears.

"You're not dead! I thought you were! I could have sworn..."

Nick was completely caught off guard and didn't know quite how to respond.

"Oh, sorry!" The fox jumped back as his face turned red and he wiped the tears from his eyes. "It's just... I found you a few hours ago floating down the river and I was able to get you to shore. I tried to wake you up... you know, C.P.R? They taught us that at school... In with the good air, out with the bad... You coughed up a bunch of water and called me Alex or something and then you passed out and I thought you weren't going to wake up and..."

"Whoa, whoa, slow down... You saved me from the river?" Nick asked, raising one brow.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah I guess I did... um, yep." The fox proudly grinned ear to ear.

"I guess I owe you one then", Nick added.

The fox just smiled and nodded.

An awkward moment passed, accompanied by the sounds of the forest and the ever-flowing river.

"Um, I'm Miles! That's my... my name, Miles Prower." The vulpine quickly extended his arm towards Nick.

"I'm Nick. Nick Hedgehog." He shook the fox's hand.

"Yes! Nice to meet you, Nick! Please, you just have... no idea how thankful I am that I found you." Miles shook Nick's hand vigorously.

"Uhh, are you okay?" Nick could see the fox was a bit delirious.

"I'm... I'm okay. Just a little tired is all", Miles replied, scratching the back of his head.

Nick could tell the little fox was uneasy, and he could only imagine why. Perhaps Miles was out in the middle of this forest for the same reason he was.

"Miles, what are you doing out here? Is your village nearby?"

The vulpine shuddered at the question.

"Uhh, well actually I... I'm kinda lost, and my friends were..." Miles seemed to be choked up about something. He stopped talking and his vision drifted away from Nick. Tears filled his eyes once more.

"Your friends? There are others? Where?" Nick asked.

Miles snapped himself out of the daze and quickly wiped a tear from his face.

"Hey, Nick, can I ask you something?"

"Uh... sure?"

"Well, uh... how come you were in the river?"

"I doubt you would believe me." Nick turned to his left, walked over to an old hollowed-out log, and sat upon it with a heavy sigh. He hung his head over and rested his arms on his knees.

"I have a feeling... I would. Because I was going to tell you why I was out here, and I thought the same thing." The vulpine slowly walked over to the troubled hedgehog.

Nick looked up once more at Miles and said, "Alright."

The fox sat down next to Nick, awaiting what he had to say.

The hedgehog began, "Well, last night, my village was attacked by something. I have no idea what... I mean, these _things _came from out of nowhere, started taking everyone from their homes right out of the beds they were sleeping in! My family, my village... it's all gone, Miles! Green Hill is... I just can't believe it myself, and I don't want too. I was able to escape somehow, and as I was running through the jungle, I tripped and fell off a damn cliff right into the river. You probably think I'm crazy."

Miles bit his lip.

"Well, uh... I'm from Emerald Coast... or what's left of it, anyway. To be honest... I really wish I did think you were crazy."

Nick glanced over at the vulpine.

"What?"

"Were they like, giant octopus things?" Miles asked timidly.

Nick nodded his head slowly.

Miles continued, "They did. They came in the night, just like you said. I'm... I'm from an orphanage in Emerald Coast Village. It was like an earthquake, or at least, that's what we _thought_ it was. Then the m... monsters... they just came out of... out of nowhere.

Nick could see the little fox was losing his grip on his composure again. He could tell he was trying so hard to be strong.

Tears started welling up in the young fox's eyes as he continued, "One of our caretakers managed to lead us to some underground tunnel that was beneath the orphanage. The tunnel was suppose to be in case of really bad storms and floods; it would take us all the way to the forest. About fifteen of us got out, plus the one caretaker."

Nick's ears perked up.

"What? Really? Where are they?"

Miles just started to shake his head, one hand covering his face.

"I'm the only one left!"

Nick's heart sank as the kit finished his story.

Miles leaned over and grabbed hold of Nick, crying his eyes out.

The hedgehog wrapped his arms around him, trying to comfort the little fox.

Nick didn't ask Miles why he was all alone; he could only imagine what happened to his friends out in the woods.

They just sat there on the riverbank, neither saying a word. They both felt as if they were bystanders of the end of the world. If what happened to Nick's home occurred at Miles's village too, then it had to be happening other places as well; perhaps all over Mobius.

One thing Nick was thankful for, however, his one saving grace, was the fact that he wasn't alone. The hedgehog continued to hold onto the fox who was still crying. It reminded him of being with his brother, just moments before he was taken away.

Then Nick broke the silence, "Miles?"

"Hmm?" Miles pulled away and looked up at Nick with his bloodshot eyes.

"You, uh... You ever had a big brother?"

Miles looked away, and then slowly shook his head.

"I've never had anyone; I never knew my family. Now even my friends are gone."

Once more, Miles looked up at Nick with his heartbroken eyes.

"You're all I got right now. That's why I had to save you from the river. I almost couldn't do it, I almost drowned too... but I had to."

Nick felt like his heart was smashed into a thousand pieces. He thought _he_ had nothing left to live for, but Miles never had anything to begin with.

Then the hedgehog made a silent promise to himself: he would protect Miles at any cost. He would act as the brother he never had; the family he never had. He could be that person Miles would look up to and confide in.

A silent vow.

Nick had no idea what kind of horrors fell upon his world. So he kept the promise to himself, not wanting to instill a false sense of security on the fox. He knew it was out of his power to stop those creatures, machines, or whatever they were from finding them, and if they did, he couldn't stop the inevitable.

The hedgehog thought if he had nothing left to live for, he might as well live for Miles.

He would be dead if it wasn't for Miles anyway, so he figured it would be fitting to return the favor somehow.

"Miles, look", Nick grabbed the fox's attention, "I know how you're feeling right now. I know you feel like the whole world is coming down on you; trust me, I do. But right now we need to move; we need to find our way to the other side of the forest to Mobotropolis. We need to warn them about what's happened. Hopefully it's not too late... So, can you be strong for me? I know we can both make it if we start moving right now."

Miles wiped his nose, nodded, and replied, "Okay, let's go. I think I know the way; there should be a trail not too far from here that leads to the city."

Then the fox looked at Nick in a serious manner and said, "You really think they could stop those things? If they knew they were coming?"

"I really don't know Miles. I wish I could say 'yes'."

The fox jumped off the log they were sitting upon and walked a few steps away from Nick.

"Alright, follow me."

Then the hedgehog saw something really out of the ordinary about Miles that he failed to notice before.

"Whoa..." Nick's eyes grew wide.

Miles turned around.

"What? What is it?"

"You... you have _two_ tails!"

Indeed he did. The young fox had not one, but two full tails. Both with white tips.

Suddenly, Miles scrunched his brow.

"So? What, you gonna make fun of me like everyone else does?" The fox's attitude changed in the blink of an eye.

"Hey hold on!" Nick stood from the log and folded his arms. "Why would I do that?"

"Because everyone does! Even my friends did. They called me a freak... A deformed freak!"

"I think it's kinda cool, actually."

"SEE? I... Wait, what?" Miles's face changed from anger to surprise.

Nick circled around the fox, getting a better look at the unusual sight. Miles kept his eyes on the hedgehog as he did.

Nick started to nod his head.

"Yeah I think that has to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Way past cool."

Miles laughed.

"Really? You're just saying that... You're lying."

"No, I'm serious. I mean, I don't even really have one tail! You've got two! You think I could borrow one?"

"Ha ha! NO! They're mine!" Miles replied with a smile on his face.

"Then be proud of them. For some reason you have two, and you should be proud of it. It really sets you apart from everyone else. I mean, there's nothing special about me, and that's boring."

Miles couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was always ridiculed about his deformity: his dual tails.

"Trust me, Miles; everyone wants to be different. And those very same people make fun of the ones who are. They're just jealous you have an advantage."

The fox just stared at Nick, dumbfounded by what he had just heard.

Then he spoke, "You know, Nick, I never thought I would meet someone like you, during the worst time of my life." He was all smiles. "Makes things seem... not so bad."

Nick just grinned and waved his hand, signaling it was time to go.

The two orphans made their way into the woods. This marked the beginning of their journey of inconceivable proportions. They wondered through the dense woodland forest, trying to find their way to the trail that would hopefully lead them to Mobotropolis.

They talked and laughed as if nothing had ever happened as they trekked onward.

It was early morning and the sun was still beginning its ascent into the sky. The air was crisp and saturated with a natural pine scent from the trees. All around them, birds started to sing and chirp, greeting another day.

That's just what it felt like to Miles and Nick: just another day. It didn't feel like the end of the world at all. It's amazing how a good friend can seem to have the ability to lift the weight of the world from your shoulders.

The two came to a break in the trees, and stood before an open field. A wide green field of grass panned out before them, the forest trees surrounding its edges. They could finally see the clear blue sky above. The parting of the forest almost acted as a window to the scattered clouds above. The field had soft, rolling knolls throughout, and colorful flowers of many kinds were scattered about.

"I'll race you to the other side!" Miles challenged Nick to a foot race.

"What? I don't know, I'm still pretty sore. I can barely walk as it is", Nick replied.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that fast... First one to the trees on the other side of the field wins!"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"Well, yeah, I figured that, _Tails_."

"...What did you just call me?"

"Uh, Tails? I don't know, it's kinda like a nickname, I guess."

The fox smiled.

"I... I like it! 'Tails'... It's better than my stupid normal name."

"Hey, don't say that! Miles is a cool name!"

"Nope! I'm Tails now!" he laughed. "You said it! Now I need a nickname for you! I guess I'll just call you 'Blue' from now on."

"What? Oh, come on, that's the best you can come up with? How 'bout... Spike or something? I am a hedgehog; I've got quills! I called you Tails because, well... it makes sense!"

Tails just stared at Nick, and then shook his head.

"No, I'm calling you 'Blue' because you are the first _blue _hedgehog I have ever seen."

Nick just sighed, "Awesome."

"Alright, Blue! Let's get going! We gotta get to Mobotroplis before sundown!"

The little fox was filled with enthusiasm by the new nickname that Nick bestowed upon him.

Unfortunately, it was an enthusiasm that would only be short-lived.

Something caught the fox's attention. He froze in his tracks just moments before he was going to run into the open field. Something wasn't right.

He turned towards Nick with a look of fear on his face and screamed, "It's here!"

"What? What are you talking about...?"

Before Tails could respond, his worst fears were realized. A couple of hundred feet away from where they were standing, something emerged from the wall of trees that lined the left side of the field. It was some sort of metallic figure that glistened in the rising sun. It came from the tree tops, soaring through the air and landing in the middle of the field with a ground-shaking impact.

Tails ran for Nick, and found refuge behind the hedgehog, cowering in terror.

"That's it! That thing is what took all my friends away when we were lost in the forest! It's some kind of robot!"

The sounds of rocket boosters igniting echoed throughout the forest, and the machine charged towards them at an alarming speed.

"Please, Nick! Don't let it take me! Please!" the vulpine cried out a desperate plea.

Nick widened his stance, and braced for the impact of the incoming machine. He could see it in greater detail as it careened towards him. It looked like your average robot out of a comic book. It was a red and black bipedal-type mecha with a round, yellow domelike head. One arm hosted a claw at its end, and the other some sort of weapon.

The hedgehog couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had never heard of such a thing existing in real life.

It barreled towards him still, not showing any signs of slowing down.

Nick gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to budge, he wasn't going to let this machine hurt Miles. He may have failed Alex, but this time he wasn't going to fail again. Nick's body was still sore and it pained him to move, but his spirit was stronger than ever.

He braced for the impact... but it never came.

The robot fired its boosters in reverse and came to an abrupt halt right before the hedgehog. It disengaged its propulsion system and planted its metal feet right before Nick.

The blue hedgehog looked up at the machine that stood several feet taller than him.

The robot emitted a red laser field that scanned over Nick.

"Processing", a robotic voice blankly stated.

In a flash, the claw of the machine reached out, grabbed Nick by the throat, and lifted him off the ground.

The hedgehog kicked and struggled with both of his hands gripped on the mecha's claw, trying to budge the unbreakable grasp around his neck.

"Subject, H132GH. Specimen is still awaiting collection and processing procedures. Action: discard. Subject is out of jurisdiction of alpha patrol. Alerting gamma patrol for collection."

The mecha then dropped Nick to the ground. The hedgehog fell on his back, coughing and gasping for air.

"Nick! No!" In an instant the vulpine was by the hedgehog's side.

Then the same red scanning beam from before was washing over Tails this time. Once more, the mecha's claw reached for his target.

Nick saw this, which caused him to sit up and throw his arm across the vulpine's chest, pushing him behind the hedgehog.

The claw stopped right in front of Nick's face.

A brief moment of silence passed, until the machine emitted a single word from its voice box:

"Obstruction."

Nick struggled to his feet. The red eyes of the machine locked onto the hedgehog as it retracted its arm.

Still trying to find his breath, Nick managed to speak, "No! You... are not... taking him, you bucket of _bolts_! You aren't going to hurt him! I won't... I _won't_ let you!"

The robot just stood there, frozen in place.

Nick prepared for the worst as his newfound terrified friend stood cowering behind him. Tails was amazed by Nick's courage; he couldn't believe he was standing his ground against the machine.

"Obstruction must be removed. Specimen must be collected. Failure not acceptable."

In a flash, the mecha swung his other arm at Nick and struck him in the head, causing blood to spurt from the blow. The strike nearly made him black out as he was knocked right off his feet. He slammed into the ground below, landing on his left arm.

"NICK!!" He could hear Tails scream his name as he hit the ground.

The hedgehog felt pain surge through his body like he never felt before. He never knew what it meant to suffer until now.

"Specimen F101EC acquired." The robot snatched up the fox without hesitation.

Nick could faintly hear Miles screaming for help as the mecha claimed its prize.

The broken hedgehog rose to his hands and knees. His head felt like it was two sizes too small from the blinding pain.

The sounds of the robot's boosters igniting erupted once more, and Nick watched the robot make off with Miles slung over its shoulder. The fox was locked into place by some belt-like clamp that emerged from the machine's shoulder.

Nick, only out of desperation, crawled forward, trying to justify in his mind that he was giving an effort to stop the robot from taking Miles away. Blood dripped from the fresh open wound on the hedgehog's head as he struggled to get to his feet. He could hear the young kit crying and screaming for Nick to save him as the mecha sped off across the field, making its way towards the trees.

The blue hedgehog's head spun as he managed to stumble to his feet. The sorrowful, desperate pleas coming from Miles brought agonizing visions before Nick's eyes. He could see the look on his brother's face as he was taken from his home. He could almost swear it was Alex himself that was screaming for help rather than Miles. He saw a vision of his parents' destroyed and empty bedroom. Nick never even had the chance to see them one last time.

He just couldn't do it. He just didn't have the strength to go on.

The silent promise he had made Miles Prower was broken. He thought he could keep him safe, but already he had failed him.

Nick dropped to his knees and fell forward. One hand braced him from the ground, the other covered his aching wound that continued to ooze crimson red. He held his eyelids shut as tears of guilt and defeat began to seep out.

The hedgehog's spirit was crushed.

Nick felt his last ounce of strength leave his body. He collapsed onto the field, and everything went dark once again.

_

_

"_Hey, Nick! Wake up! You said you would go fishing with me today!"_

A small voice echoed in a sea of blackness.

"_It's like I wonder why we try so hard to make all our dreams come true, but in the big picture of things, none of it matters because we are so small."_

The faint ghostly image of an old friend could be seen before it faded away.

"_Alex I'm sorry! Please... I just, I don't know why I yelled at you this morning, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I'm just.... I'm sorry, okay?"_

Regret. Sorrow. Forgiveness.

"_So, you still scared?"_

"_Huh? Nuh-uh, I wasn't... I wasn't scared! I was just seeing if you were scared!"_

A flash of lightning. The crack of thunder.

"_Alex... Alex, what did you see?"_

Screams of terror.

"_Hey, you're the only little brother I'll ever have... I'll never let anything happen to you. Never."_

An empty promise.

"_Um, I'm Miles! That's my... my name, Miles Prower."_

The face of innocence in an unforgiving, bloodthirsty world.

"_Please, Nick! Don't let it take me! Please!"_

A chance for redemption.

"_No! You... are not... taking him, you bucket of bolts. You aren't going to hurt him! I won't... I won't let you!"_

Failure.

___

___

"_No."_

Nick's eyes flew open.

His mind was free from the nightmare, and he was back in the field in which he had collapsed.

An uncontrollable rage flowed through his body. It lifted his broken spirit from the depths of the Hell into which it had nearly fallen.

The screams of a crying child echoed through the forest as Nick climbed to his feet.

His head snapped towards the cry for help, his primal instincts kicking in.

The hedgehog scrunched his brow, clenched his blood-soaked fists, and growled through his clenched teeth, "No. Not again."

The strange, powerful force that helped him escape Green Hill took over his body once more. It was all coming back to him as the anger and regret that plagued his mind faded away.

Then he let go completely.

_

_

Miles pounded his fist franticly on the back of his metallic captor as it sped through the forest.

"LET ME GO! PLEASE! NOOO!"

He watched as the trees flew by at an alarming rate. The machine was already deep into the woods.

Miles cried hysterically as he was taken through the forest. He didn't want to know where he was being taken by the machine; he had a feeling he would be better off dead.

But before the vulpine shed the final tear of his dying hope that someone would save him, something incredible happened.

The sound of some sort of explosion could be heard, and an invisible, unstoppable wave of energy caused all the trees to sway in unison, as if a powerful, gale-force wind were rolling through.

Miles could see something in the distance rapidly gaining on him and the robot. It kicked up a huge dust cloud as it weaved through the labyrinth of trees.

The fox's eyes grew wide as it came closer and closer. He couldn't make out exactly what it was... but the unstoppable force careened through the woods faster and faster.

It was nothing but a blur.

A blue blur.

"No", Miles thought. "It couldn't..."

The next thing Miles knew, it slammed right into the back of the mecha and sent it flying through the air. The constraint holding the fox to the machine snapped, and he too was sent freely tumbling out of control.

The little fox hit the ground hard, and bounced and rolled across the forest floor. As he did, he could hear the sounds of twisted metal. The robot was nearly broken into pieces by whatever smashed into it at breakneck speed, and it too tumbled across the ground until finally smashing up against a tree horizontally, breaking it in half.

Then all the commotion finally ended as Miles finally came to a stop, landing in a large patch of flowers, which softened his final landing.

His head was spinning as he tried to rise to his feet. He stumbled along, trying to retrace his steps back to where he was before the robot was destroyed.

He found the trail of broken scraps of metal and other sorts of metallic bits and pieces that led to where the mecha had come to its final stop. It was completely dismantled, its remains resting before one of the mighty redwood trees.

Then something caught Miles's attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked to his left, and saw a blue figure leaning up against a tree trunk.

"NICK!"

Miles ran over to the hedgehog.

Nick rested against the tree, holding his shoulder as if it were in great pain. He was covered in cuts and bruises. Needless to say, he was in bad shape, but he was alive and breathing.

The hedgehog noticed Miles standing before him with an awestruck look on his face.

Nick smiled.

"Hey, Tails. You okay?"

Miles just couldn't find the words.

"You... Wait... what... What the heck was that?! It was moving so fast... It couldn't have been... WAS THAT YOU?!"

Nick just nodded as he gritted his teeth.

"Man, I think I broke my shoulder hitting that thing."

"But, you were moving so... And the robot was just... I... But, how?" The two-tailed fox was lost in disbelief. He just kept looking over at the mangled robot and then back at Nick, who was just about to pass out again.

Miles then simply walked over to Nick and sat beside him, leaning up against the tree.

The vulpine just stared off blankly, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"That... was you? But, how did..."

Nick replied, "Your guess is as good as mine, Tails."

A moment of silence passed. Then Miles spoke up again.

"Remember how I wanted to call you 'Blue'?"

Nick looked over at his dual-tailed friend with one brow raised.

"Yeah, I think. Why? Arrghh, I think I busted a quill too..."

Miles looked over at Nick and just smiled while letting a quick laugh escape his lips.

"I think... I just thought of something better to call you instead."

* * *

**_Authors note: I would like to thank __Blue Phoenix 12 for accepting the task of becoming my new editor for Sonic Begins. You rock!!_**

**_Thanks for reading! More to come soon! Reviews are much appreciated!_**


	5. Chapter 4: The Collector

**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 4: The Collector**

_I remember it as though it were yesterday. The sleepless nights, the constant recalculations and re-fabrications of my twisted hypotheses, and the blood... so much blood. They said it was impossible, they said it was unethical, they said I was insane. No. They are the ones who are charged with the notion of being unethical. How could a sane individual want to blind the world from the chance of immortality? Why would anyone want to obstruct the discovery of the inconceivable! Yes, I have found the answer; I have discovered the path to immortality!_

_But they deny my gift! They only offer to me their closed-minded ideals that I am toying with the very rules the divine creator himself had bestowed upon the universe!_

_Life and Death. Beginning and end. Alpha and Omega. A dogma that a mere dirt-dwelling creature such as I shall not protrude upon... or so say the religious zealots that protest my actions._

_Are they so blind? Can they not see what a marvelous breakthrough this is? A world without death is within our grasp, and they only seek the result of the destruction of the progress I have made? There is no going back now. I was so close to the full realization of my dream come to life; I couldn't let them take it from me._

_When all the pieces of this elaborate puzzle fell into place, I needed just one more element to make it work: a living, breathing... how shall I put this... volunteer, yes. I thought of how easy it could be to lure a weak-minded individual into the empty promise of being able to elude death. One must always expect failure during the first phases of testing. So I did just that. Oh my, what a mess it turned out to be. The subject was completely rejected and died in a manner of minutes. A minor loss only to act as a lesson to be learned. Onward with my experiments I proceeded in secret, until finally: success._

_The first successful prototype. Oh, what a beautiful site it was to behold! My dream, finally brought onto the plane of reality!_

_I remember it just like it was yesterday..._

_The sight of flesh and bone fused with metal. The soul of a mortal being becoming one with an immortal machine. I found the answer. I found the road to a world without death._

_I had to share my discovery; I had to show them it was possible! I was most certain they would agree with the fact that the end result of my work was nothing more than astounding._

_I was wrong._

_They called it an abomination! A crime against humanity! They said it was nothing more than a twisted, unethical and irresponsible protrusion upon the rules of life and death! I pleaded with them to see it was but a step forward for our kind! It was only an advancement in the evolution of the Overlanders!_

_They cast me out. They exiled me away from my fellow people. They destroyed all my research! My years and years of blood and sweat and tears, gone. They had plans to lock me up and throw away the key, but I managed to escape from their grasp. I fled as far as I could, with the only cargo I could bring with me: hopes of rebuilding my research._

_That was ten years ago..._

_Within those ten years, I have managed to rebuild and amass an army of my creations to seek revenge on those who denied me before. My creations however, my machines, are missing the one key element that originally would gift them a nearly unlimited power: a organic creature able to withstand the procedure of insertion into a machine. I have found exactly what I have been looking for elsewhere on this unforgiving planet._

_We share this rock with another race of creatures we call Mobians, a highly evolved, bipedal race of animals that have managed to build their own society from the ground up. They are perfect specimens for my research. They are passive creatures, and don't even have the methods of protecting themselves from any sort of attack._

_I have sent my children forward to begin collection of the Mobians. Within only a months time, I could enslave each and every one of them, burn their villages to the ground, and destroy their precious Mobotropolis. They will all serve in the army that I will soon unleash upon my own people who forced me into exile and took everything from me._

_In time, this entire planet will burn to the ground, and I shall rise up from the ashes with my creations by my side. I can see it now; it's just so... beautiful. The thought of it nearly brings a tear to my eye. The buildings nothing but twisted scrap metal, reaching up into a blazing red sky. My machines marching through the desolate, blood-soaked streets of Station Square. Then would come the rebuilding of a new age: the Age of the Machine, and the beginning of the rise of the Robotnik Empire._

_I will show them that they were the ones who were wrong. They were the ones who were insane. They will all take part in the realization of a world without death! And because of what they did to me ten years ago... they will also live in a world devoid of freewill. When that day comes, they will all obey and worship me! They will all bow down before the brilliant genius, Dr. Ivo Robotnik!_

_They will soon know that I am the Alpha and the Omega, and when the final free spirit of this wretched planet is robotized..._

_They will all know that I... am... God._

_

_

Cold steel. Everywhere you looked, that's all one could see. It was a prison. Built from nothing but cold, dead metal and steel. A never-ending labyrinth of holding blocks that housed thousands of terrified souls.

The screams filled the air like a haunting symphony. Madness and confusion was the only commodity in this nightmare. Children crying for their parents, others screaming for the loved ones from whom they were separated.

It was deafening. The desperate shrieks echoed through the metallic, poorly lit corridors as countless arms thrashed and clawed between the endless rows of steel bars that separated each cell from freedom.

The ceiling, which seemed to be hundreds of feet high, housed countless mechanical arms. Accompanying each robot limb was the end of some sort of metal tube that emerged from the roofing above. Every so often, a red light would flash on one of the tubes, followed by an eerie alarm of sorts. Shortly after, a small pod would emerge and the arms would take hold of it. Encapsulated within each pod would be a Mobian creature. With the capsule securely in its grasp, the arms would move along a track and empty the contents of the pod into one of the thousands of prison cells. The arm would then proceed to reinsert the pod into another metal tube, sending it on its way to house another victim.

The process never seemed to end. Nearly every ten seconds, like clockwork, another pod would emerge and be snatched up by one of the metal appendages. The countless cells were becoming fuller and more crowded with each passing moment, the prisoners within panicking in a claustrophobic manner.

Above a collection of anxiety-stricken eyes, another pod positioned itself and dumped out another captive. A red hedgehog fell to the cold, hard floor from the pod. Along with the hedgehog's body came gallons of some type of liquid that had filled the pod as well. Most of the Mobians would nearly drown before being dumped into a cell. The liquid acted as a method to quarantine each and every prisoner who was processed.

The red hedgehog coughed and gasped for the precious oxygen that was stolen from him within the pod. Slowly surrounding him were the other Mobians being held within this particular cell. He was the sixth one to be dropped into the cell among his fellow inmates. The young red hedgehog was dragged to the corner of the cell and propped up against the wall by the others who had watched him fall from the pod moments ago.

Faintly audible expressions of concern passed through the dazed hedgehog's ears. He could barely make out the five other figures that surrounded him, as his vision was extremely impaired at the moment, fading in and out.

Panicked voices surrounded the red hedgehog.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine. He's just a little shaken up; he'll make it."

"Where the hell are we?!"

"We are all dead! Did you see what happened to those other guys in the cell across from us?! We are all freaking dead!! It's only a matter of..."

"Just shut up! Just... Please, we all just gotta stay calm."

"...Stay calm? STAY CALM? We're locked away in some prison controlled by machines and you want us to stay calm?! My wife and daughter are somewhere out in this place and you want me to stay calm?!"

"Please stop fighting! It's not helping us..."

"It's the end of the world... The end of the freaking world! Oh, why... Why did this have to happen?!"

"It's only a matter of time that that thing comes back to take us away. Only a matter of..."

"I think it's aliens. It has to be; there's nothing on this planet capable of something like this. And from the looks of things, I say the only thing on their agenda is genocide."

"You're frightening the children! Will you please just shut up!"

"Hey, how 'bout I shut you up!"

"For Christ's sake, what are you... Hey, get off me!"

"NO! STOP!"

The red hedgehog could only hear the commotion unfolding right in front of him. They didn't even notice when he passed out from the exhaustion, becoming a slump on the ice-cold metal floor.

__

__

Faint sounds of anguished cries and screams began to fade within earshot. A pair of bloodshot eyes rolled open, causing the world around their owner to fade from black into a monochromatic wash of grays. The set of eyes belonged to the same red hedgehog from before. He found himself in some sort of prison, and couldn't recall how he came to be here.

Finding himself laying upon the floor, he gathered just enough strength in his body to lift himself upright. He looked around, and felt his stomach sink as he took in his surroundings.

The cell was nearly empty, aside from him and one other soul. A young female cat sat on one side of the cell, with her back leaning against the wall and her arms wrapped around her legs.

Struggling to his feet, the red hedgehog made his way over to the feline. She didn't look up at him, nor even acknowledge he was there at all. She just stared directly at the floor, shivering in silence.

"Are... Are you okay?" the hedgehog asked, slowly approaching the disturbed cat.

He sat down next to her without receiving a response.

They both sat there in silence, until finally a single word was spoken by the girl:

"Purgatory."

"Huh? What did you say?" the hedgehog replied, looking over.

"This place... Purgatory. We sit... We sit here, dwelling in... in our mental anguish and suffering, until finally it comes to drag us off to embrace eternity."

It was clear the feline had totally lost her grip on reality. Then again, considering their current situation, she probably wasn't the only one who had. These words made the hedgehog even more ill than he already was.

"'It'? What do you mean? What comes to..."

The feline slowly looked over at him and simply said:

"The collector."

As the hedgehog stared at her, she continued, "We call it the collector... It's the gate keeper. It takes us away from this place... It's only a matter of time. It will come for me; it will come for you! Then we will be free from this nightmare."

Suddenly, a wave of intensified screams filled the air, accompanied by the sounds of grinding metal.

"It's here", the cat calmly spoke.

The hedgehog looked towards the large steel bars that separated the cell from the main corridor beyond, and saw a large shadow looming over the floor.

Then he saw it. He witnessed with his own eyes what they called the "Collector".

It was some kind of robot that sat on treads rather than legs. It had a snake-like head that weaved and bobbed in all directions. It appeared to be searching through the cells for its next pick. It scanned over many of the prisoners in the adjacent cell, and didn't seem to find what it was looking for. Then the head bent over backwards, looking towards the cell behind it. The body followed suit and rotated around, matching the direction the head was now facing.

The feline quickly rose to her feet, and stood before the machine on the other side of the bars, hoping that she would be the chosen one.

Once more, the machine emitted a red laser field and scanned over the feline, then over the hedgehog who was still sitting against the wall, frozen in fear by the mechanical creation.

After the scan passed over the hedgehog, the machine froze in place for a moment.

The two Mobians didn't dare move, as the robot seemed to be processing some sort of information.

Then the machine let out a spine-chilling moan that nearly shook the entire foundation of the prison. Everyone within earshot fell to the floor, their hands held tightly over their ears. The feline stumbled backwards in fear and fell against the wall behind her. She then fell to the floor in a fetal position, her hands trying to protect her ears from the deafening sound the machine howled out. Shifting its position towards the hedgehog, it moved in closer. It was clear the machine had made a choice of some kind.

Two mechanical arms emerged from the torso of the machine. They both had metallic claws, which made it clear it was very interested in the hedgehog.

In a flash, the red hedgehog was grabbed by the throat and pinned against the wall. The snake-like head drew close with a blinding light, shining with the intensity of the sun. He had barely any energy to fight his way out of the grasp of the machine, but at the same time, he had a feeling it was pointless to even try.

Then, after the machine finished examining the hedgehog, it spoke.

"Priority 1 specimen. Processing... Action: immediate transfer to Robotization Chamber Zero."

Before the hedgehog could even think about what those words could possibly mean, a tube-like prosthetic holding a syringe emerged from a small compartment on one of the claws and dug itself into the boy's neck.

Then, within an instant, the world seemed to turn black and white for the boy. His hearing dulled, his body went completely limp, and he was now being taken from the cell. He watched as the feline who was left behind started to scream something at him while his feet dragged along the floor. The bars shot up from the floor and locked her away once more. She reached through the bars, almost if she wanted to be the one the machine chose.

The hedgehog's vision faded in and out, allowing him to capture only faint images of this terrible place. He could make out the faces of the other prisoners watching in terror as the machine dragged him along the metal flooring, until eventually, everything faded out completely.

__

__

"AAAAAHHH!!!"

The red hedgehog's eyes flew open with an ear-piercing scream.

Pain; that's all he could feel. The most intense pain he had ever felt in his entire lifetime. He couldn't move; his arms were locked into place horizontally, and his legs were also coupled. He could only look around with his bloodshot eyes to make out what was going on. From what he could tell, he was laying within the empty shell of a robot. He couldn't tell much more of his surroundings, due to the fact that the room was full of blinding lights shining right down on him. He could, however, see the source of the blinding pain he was in: dozens of thick syringes were dug into his flesh all over his body, delivering a steady flow of liquids into the hedgehog.

So many thoughts surged through his mind at that moment. Was he going to die? Was he being put into this machine? Was this a dream? Could this be real?

Screams were coming from all directions. This time, however, they weren't screams of fear, but rather screams of pain and suffering. Accompanying the anguished cries was the sound of machinery, the high-pitched squeal of drills, and the sound of metal being fused together.

If there was such a thing worse than death, then this poor hedgehog was being forced to experience exactly what that could possibly be.

Suddenly, from the blackness that surrounded the blinding lights above emerged a robotic arm with a small drill on its end. The drill whirred to life, emitting a nauseating squeal.

The hedgehog stirred nervously, trying with all his might to move... but he couldn't even budge an inch.

The drill came closer and closer to his forehead, slowing with every moment it grew closer.

Screaming in fear, the boy started to cry as he watched the drill come within mere inches of drilling into his skull.

"NO! NO, PLEASE, STOP!" the hedgehog pleaded.

He shut his eyes as tight as he possibly could and clenched his fists, awaiting pain on an excruciating level.

"Well, he did ask in a polite manner. Abort the procedure! Now! You heard the boy", a mysterious voice commanded.

The drill came to an instant stop, then pulled away from the hedgehog. One by one, each syringe pulled itself from the boy and disappeared underneath where he lay. A most uncomfortable experience. Then the lights subsided, and another set of florescent lights subtly illuminated the small metallic room.

As the red hedgehog's eyes adjusted, he found that he wasn't alone. Standing next to the robotic shell in which he was placed was a... man? An Overlander?

He was a tall, heavyset Overlander, wearing some sort of red and black suit. His other features included a full mustache, bald head, small round reflective spectacles covering his beady eyes, and the most sinister smile that made the hedgehog's skin crawl.

Then he spoke.

"Tell me, my dear boy: are you enjoying your stay here at my humble abode?"

The hedgehog didn't say a word; he just kept his tortured eyes on the man. His body stung all over from the needles that had once been puncturing his skin.

"Hmm, not quite the one to engage in conversation, I see. I must admit, you do seem a bit uncomfortable. My guests seem to be a little unnerved by the ambiance of my home. You get use to the screams, though, so do not fret, my child."

Surprisingly, the boy spoke to the man, "Who... Who are you? What are you doing with... us?"

"You may simply refer to me as 'The Doctor', if you wish. Or, if you wish to be a tad more formal, Dr. Ivo Robotnik will suffice. And as for your second question, well... I'll try to keep it in simple terms, because to be honest, I don't have time to explain it all. Well, actually", the man laughed, "I have all the time in the world; it's you that's short in supply. So I guess I will just simply show you."

The mad Doctor walked over to a nearby computer touch-screen and struck a button with his index finger.

Suddenly, the clamps holding down the young hedgehog snapped open; he was free.

The boy's eyes grew wide in shock and surprise. Given the mental state he was in at the moment, the only thing his basic instincts told him to do was to escape.

Somehow he found the strength to climb up and fall over the edge of the empty robot chassis. He hit the floor with a thud as robotic arms that hung from the ceiling watched his every move yet refrained from apprehending him.

Robotnik just laughed as the hedgehog stumbled for what looked like a way out.

"You sure are the little survivalist! I admire your spirit! Here, let me get the door for you."

The large Overlander walked over to another control panel and pressed a few buttons. Soon after, a large steel door slid open, allowing passage to whatever was beyond the doorway.

The moment the door slid open, however, the room flooded with the most bloodcurdling screams the red hedgehog had ever heard. Beyond the door was a massive corridor, containing a sight that would ruin the hedgehog for the rest of his days.

Endless rows of open-chassis mechas were lined up, awaiting to receive what would fill the empty void within the machine.

Once more, countless mechanical arms lined the ceiling. Each one would grab a Mobian out of a cage that was being carried on a massive 15-foot-tall mecha's back. Soon after, the arm would carry the struggling creature and hold it over one of the empty mecha chasses. The process continued. Dozens of snake-like tubes with drills on their end would emerge from the mechas and drill into the Mobian's body: down their spine, throughout their arms, along their legs, and one directly into the back of their neck. Blood would spill with each drill that dug into the body. Being held by the neck, the unlucky soul would thrash about, screaming as the process continued. Still being grasped by the mechanical arm, the Mobian would then be lowered into the machine below as all the tubes that were inserted into their body would retract into the machine as well. Once placed in the machine, the mecha's open body would slowly close with the Mobian inside. Finishing the procedure, another mechanical arm emerged from the ground, equipped with a blow torch. It fused the machine shut, acting as the final nail in the Mobian's metal coffin.

The red hedgehog witnessed this atrocity happening to hundreds of his fellow people, and it threw his mind into madness.

He stumbled backwards into the room he aimed to escape as the door before him slammed shut, blocking him from the nightmare he saw.

Looking at the man who was present in the metal room with him, he backed into a wall and screamed, "You murderer! Why are you doing this to us?!"

"Murderer? Oh, do not be so dramatic, my boy. What I am doing is far from murder. The process may be nothing more than brutality in the eyes of the average individual, but in reality, I am only postponing life's inevitable end."

As his captive continued to stare at him in shock, Robotnik continued, "I'm sure you are wondering why I have separated you from the rest of the... festivities. Research has shown, if not proven, that, for some reason, the hedgehog race holds most efficiently the post-robotization process. You are able to power more demanding machines when it comes to energy consumption."

A look of terror came over the hedgehogs face.

"No! I don't believe it! This isn't happening! You are using us to power these..." He glanced over to the empty robot chassis in the room before finishing, "...these machines?"

"Ha ha! Yes, my child, it is true! Oh, for so long I have waited to see the day my vision was fully realized in all its glory! This is such an exciting time for all of Mobius. It's a dawning of a new age."

Robotnik then walked over to the frightened hedgehog and bent at the waist, looking down at him.

"Do you creatures have names? I must say, I was dumbfounded you could even speak! Tell me boy, what is your name?"

Not even daring to make eye contact, the hedgehog timidly looked at the ground and replied, "Ed."

The mad doctor stood up straight and clapped his hands together with a smile.

"Well then, Edward, my boy, you and I are going be the very best of friends quite soon! I just know it."

Then he stepped aside and snapped his fingers. In response to the snap, a robot arm from above lunged at Ed and snatched him up. It then placed him back into the machine in which he had woken up earlier.

"NO, PLEASE!! STOP!"

Metallic clamps locked his limbs into place within the shell of the machine. Robotnik walked over once more to the nearby computer touch-screen, and began pressing numerous buttons and switches.

"You should be excited, Edward! Once you are robotized, you are going to be immediately deployed into the field. I have something special planned for you, which grants you the privilege of being installed into a very special creation of mine."

Dozens of robotic surgical arms surrounded the petrified hedgehog.

"This particular model is the fastest, most effective killing machine in my arsenal. With you... I guess you could say, 'behind the wheel', it will be even more powerful than it already is. One of my deployed recon-bots was completely destroyed this morning, just after picking up one of the stragglers from Emerald Coast. So, as your first assignment, I want you to check it out for me."

"No! I won't do it! I'm never going to... AAAAHHH!!!"

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you, my boy! These robotization procedures are a bit... obtrusive to the ears."

From the eyes of the hedgehog, only the most sickening, nightmarish scene played out before him. The plethora of mechanical limbs equipped with an assortment of surgical utensils tore into his body. Crude saws cut large openings in his arms, while microchips and assorted wiring were placed inside his open wounds. Other mechanical arms proceeded to install the multiple life-support tubes throughout the surface of the body.

Within mere seconds, the hedgehog succumbed to the pain and passed out. Small vacuum-like tubes darted all over the surgery, sucking up all the blood that had spilled from the boy and recycling it back into his body.

After only a minute's time, the high-pitched squeals of the machinery taking part in the brutality came to a halt. The procedure was complete.

The mecha's open body slowly began to close up, now encasing its newly installed power supply.

Soon after, the machine was fused closed and stood upright.

Dr. Robotnik gave an approving laugh, and smiled proudly. A prompt then appeared on the control screen before him, reading: "Begin activation process? Yes. No."

"From now on, you will no longer be known as Edward, my fair boy; you will now only be known as E-102 Gamma. Welcome to immortality, you pathetic creature."

* * *

_**Thanks for reading. More to come soon.**_


	6. Chapter 5: Different

**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 5: Different**

Deep within the Great Mobian Forest, two orphans were sleeping peacefully against a towering redwood tree.

Well, at least one of the two was at peace.

A young, orange, two-tailed fox was fast asleep, leaning across the chest of a blue hedgehog. They were now brothers, bound together by their unfortunate circumstances.

Nick, the blue hedgehog, held one arm over the slumbering little fox, who gently stirred in his sleep. His eyes were not closed, nor was his mind at rest. Nick sat against the tree with his newfound friend, awake, all through the night.

The thought of sleep was not a welcoming idea to the hedgehog. After Miles was attacked by that robot, his nerves had been on edge ever since. Although he had managed to harness that strange power once more and had stopped the machine from abducting Miles, it didn't mean that the event wouldn't repeat itself.

They didn't find their way to Mobotropolis by nightfall, so they set up camp, and stayed the night in the woods. They managed to catch some fish at a nearby creek, and even made a small fire to keep themselves warm and cook whatever they caught from the water. In time the sun set, and the moon emerged from the horizon, illuminating the star-filled sky.

Then, soon after the arrival of nightfall, Miles grew tired and in no time was fast asleep, leaning up against Nick. The kit seemed to be free of any kind of anxiety whatsoever, allowing him to drift off to sleep with ease. Unbeknownst to Nick, the fox thought he was in the presence of, at least in his mind, some sort of super-hero. After he witnessed Nick destroy that mecha, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he couldn't be in better hands at a time like this, and he couldn't be more right.

Nick didn't think this, however. He was still afraid. All through the night, with every gust of wind, every snap of a twig, and each and every noise the forest would make, his heart would skip a beat. His tired eyes would erratically dart in every direction, searching for something he prayed he wouldn't see:

Another one of those machines.

He couldn't shake the thought of more being out there, hunting them down. All night he fought off the gut-wrenching thoughts of what could have happened to his friends, his mother and father, Alex... Would he ever see them again? Or was it only a matter of time until he and Miles would join them all? It was impossible not to dwell on such ideas.

So, as Miles slept, Nick never allowed himself to rest his eyes for even a short moment. As the hours passed, and the moon hung in the night sky, he guarded Miles from whatever might be out there, watching them.

The moon eventually found its way horizon-bound once more as the sun began its morning ritual of rising from the east. Nick still refused to give in; he wouldn't dare submit to the fatigue plaguing his body and mind. As the sun climbed higher, his eyes became a deeper shade of red, and his eyelids felt like they would slam shut any second, but he wouldn't dare sleep for even a moment. He would not allow them to become vulnerable for even the shortest amount of time.

They set up camp just before the creek they fished in, the morning sun glistening off the tranquil waters.

"We made it", Nick thought to himself.

They had lived to see another day, still free from the grasp of the machines that had destroyed their homes.

Nick cracked a smile as he glanced down at Miles, who still fast asleep.

Then the inevitable happened as the warmth of the rising sun washed over the hedgehog: his eyes began to gently flutter, becoming heavier and heavier with each passing moment.

Having not slept for well over twenty-four hours, Nick finally gave in. His eyes rolled shut, and his head slowly drifted off to the side as he finally submitted to his exhaustion and fell into a deep slumber.

But just as the blue hedgehog drifted off to sleep, a gentle yawn escaped from Miles's snout, and the young fox's eyes slowly opened.

Miles rubbed his eyes with one arm and yawned once more. He glanced up and noticed the hedgehog was asleep. He carefully slid out from under Nick's arm placed over him, trying to avoid waking up his new big brother.

The little fox didn't feel like he should greet the new day all on his own, so he gave Nick a quick tap on the shoulder.

"Hey... Hey, Sonic", Miles whispered.

Nick didn't respond at all; he was out cold.

Miles gently shook the slumbering hedgehog's shoulder, trying to wake him up.

Nick gave a quick snort and mumbled something Miles could barely make out.

"No... Just a little longer... sleep... Alex..."

"Alex?" Miles just shrugged and climbed to his feet, his dual tails stirring anxiously behind him.

He turned away from Nick and looked around. Miles took in the sights of the beautiful forest that surrounded the two for what seemed like forever in every direction. Then he took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, and walked down to the creek that was only a stone's throw away.

As he made his way down to the water, the young fox hummed a tune to himself and sang a few words that brought a smile to his face.

"_Blue streak_... um... _speeds by_... _Sonic, the Hedgehog!_ Uh, _too fast, for the... naked eye... _Ha ha, yeah, that's it! _Sonic, the Hedgehog..._"

Miles peered down into the water, and saw his refection on the mirror-like surface. Cupping his hands together, he leaned forward, dipped them into the creek, and proceeded to take a drink of the clean, crisp water that flowed freely before him.

After the kit drank his fill, he turned his attention back to Nick. The hedgehog was still fast asleep, and was about to fall over from leaning against the tree.

Miles cautiously made his way back over to his friend and sat down almost directly in front of him, wrapping his arms around his own knees.

The two-tailed fox just sat there patiently, waiting for the hedgehog to wake up. He would get a bit excited every time Nick would fidget in his sleep, hoping he was about to awake from his slumber.

Nick just kept on sleeping, and Miles kept on waiting...

...And waiting...

...And waiting...

...And _waiting_...

Until...

"SONIC, WAKE UP!"

He couldn't wait anymore, because honestly, Miles felt five minutes was enough time to wait.

In response to the fox's sudden outburst, Nick's eyes flew open and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

The hedgehog was on his feet in a flash, his arms out in front of him in a panicked state, and his eyes wide and bloodshot. He looked around in all directions, thinking they were in some kind of danger.

He found the orange vulpine standing before him with a grin on his face.

"What... What is it, Tails?! What's wrong?!"

"Uh... Nothin'. It's just time to wake up; that's all!"

Nick's arms fell to his side as he slouched forward with a sigh. Then he looked up with a frustrated look on his face and pointed at Miles.

"Tails... _Miles_. Don't ever do that again... Okay? You almost gave me a freaking heart attack!"

Nick placed one hand over his eyes and the other on his hip as he paced around. The hedgehog was taking deep breaths, trying to get his heart rate back under control.

"I thought one of those machines was back, trying to kidnap you again! All it takes is a little nudge and I'll wake up, okay?! It doesn't need to be a traumatic experience."

Nick walked over to the creek to splash his face with some water. Miles had no idea he only got about fifteen minutes of sleep. The hedgehog could feel the fatigue making its presence known, making him feel nauseous. Being as tired as he was really put him on edge, but for the sake of Miles's feelings, he did everything he could to keep himself under control.

As Nick knelt down before the creek, continuing to splash his face and trying to feel even the least bit refreshed, the orange fox took his place by his side.

Miles knew he had upset the hedgehog, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. The last thing he wanted was his only friend in his life right now to be cross with him.

"Hey, uh... Sonic?"

Sonic. That was the new nickname Miles had decided to give the blue hedgehog after witnessing him move at nearly super-sonicspeed.

Nick slowly looked over at the fox and replied, "What?"

Miles bit his lower lip before asking, "Did you... sleep well? Wow, why are your eyes so red?"

"I slept great... And don't call me Sonic."

"What? Why not? I think it's... Even you said you thought it was cool!" Miles frowned.

"I just wanna be called Nick. Is that okay?"

"No! You call me 'Tails', I call you 'Sonic'!"

"NO!" Nick started to walk along the creek, away from Miles.

The fox ran up alongside of him.

"That's not fair! You can run super fast! You _are_ Sonic; Sonic the Hedgehog! Why don't you want to be called that?"

It didn't take long for Nick to lose his temper.

"Because I'm not some freak, okay?! I don't like it because it just reminds me of everything that's happened these past few days!"

Nick turned to Miles and looked him dead in the eyes.

"So don't... call... me... Sonic. I'm not like that, no; I'm no freak show."

What Miles didn't know was that Nick wasn't really in control of himself at the moment; he was in a delirious state of mind.

The fox stopped dead in his tracks as Nick trudged on, not really knowing where he was headed.

"So you don't like being a _freak_? Is that it?" Miles said with a trembling voice.

He then ran ahead of Nick and stopped him right in his tracks. The fox peered up at the hedgehog, now looking _him_ dead in the eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I made you feel different! I'm sorry I thought you weren't like all the others I've known! I'm sorry I thought you were cool and... and you could keep me safe from those robots out there!"

Tears started to well up in his eyes.

"So you don't want to be a freak? Fine! I won't call you 'Sonic' anymore! You can't call me 'Tails' either, because you just make ME feel like a freak! At least you don't _look_ like one!"

Up ahead was a cobblestone bridge that crossed over the water. It was part of the main path that led to Mobotropolis and other villages along the way.

As the two walked towards the bridge, Nick could hear Miles muttering something under his breath:

"Jerk."

This caused Nick to pause at the foot of the bridge. It wasn't too long ago that someone else had called him that name.

The hurt vulpine began crossing the bridge alone. Then he noticed Nick lagging behind, and turned to him.

"Are you coming?" he snapped.

Nick just nodded as he pushed on, looking down at his feet with a guilty look on his face.

Miles scrunched his brow as he waited for the hedgehog to catch up. As he did, the fox began to turn away to continue on down the path. Then, once more, he stopped, for he felt a hand placed upon his shoulder.

His head spun around, and Miles saw Nick, holding one hand on the ledge of the bridge's stone walls, and the other on the kit's shoulder.

Miles's eyes softened. It was clear Nick wasn't himself at the moment; he could see it in the hedgehog's face.

"Miles, please, I'm sorry."

The hedgehog sighed.

"I used to have a little brother. His name was Alex. He looked up to me; he always wanted to be just like me in every way. He would get on my nerves, just like any other little brother, and I would get mad at him like always. I hurt his feelings a lot. I didn't mean to; I just had trouble finding the patience."

Nick lowered his hand from Miles's shoulder.

"It was only a few days ago that I finally realized how important I was to him... how important he was to me. I was going to make things right; I was going to actually be that big brother he really wanted."

Miles tilted his head to one side as his tails darted nervously behind him. He had a feeling this story would not have a happy ending.

Nick continued, his voice starting to tremble.

"Then, those... things... came during the night. I watched Alex get taken from me, and there was nothing I could do about it. Just when I was going to make everything right between us... he was gone."

The hedgehog snapped his fingers and added, "Just like that."

Miles wasn't upset anymore. Instead, he felt like his heart was beginning to break in half. This sudden confession Nick was making brought back the realization that the world around them was going crazy.

The hedgehog had more to say.

"Then, when that... that machine, or robot, or whatever the hell that thing was, tried to take you away... I felt like I was losing Alex all over again."

Nick sank to the ground, leaning against the inside of the bridge; he was so exhausted. He looked over at Miles.

"I almost gave in; I almost couldn't find the strength to go after you. Then... something happened. Something I just can't explain. Some kind of power within me brought me to my feet, and allowed me to run so damn fast, and... Well, you know what happened."

Miles nodded as he sat down next to Nick.

"Yeah, I remember. It... It was amazing..."

"Yeah, 'amazing'. More like 'scary as hell'. It wasn't the first time I experienced it, either. Back when my village was attacked, it saved my life. It helped me escape... But in all honesty, it just frightens me. It's like I've got this beast inside of me that's trying to get out, and each time it almost escapes, I nearly get killed.

"But when that robot nearly cracked my head open and took off with you, I thought I would rather die than let that machine win, and somehow, I was able to harness that power once more."

Nick looked over at the fox, who now had tears escaping from his eyes and rolling down the sides of his face.

"I lost Alex; I failed him. But I'm _not_ going to fail _you_. Because like you told me, all we have left is each other. And if I lose you, I'll have lost everything all over again."

And with those words, Miles leaned over and simply hugged Nick.

"Thank you", the vulpine whimpered.

Miles just clung to Nick for a few moments, then glanced up at him and said, "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

Nick shook his head.

"Geez, no wonder you were so grouchy", Miles replied, wiping his nose. The hedgehog just laughed.

"Sorry, kid; someone had to be the lookout."

Miles pulled away and continued in a stronger voice, "Well, okay; this time I'll be the lookout, and you can sleep! How's that?"

"Nah", Nick replied as he climbed to his feet. "We gotta keep moving; we're almost to the city! When we reach my uncle's place there, I'll catch some Z's then."

"Are... are you sure?"

Miles couldn't help feeling a little guilty when he found out he was the only one who got a good night's rest. Nick was looking incredibly pale, his quills were drooping, and his eyes were getting redder by the minute and could barely stay open. He was covered with small cuts, and had quite a scar forming on his forehead where the machine that had tried to take Miles struck him.

The vulpine was awestruck that the hedgehog still had the energy to even stand on his own two feet.

"Are you sure you're not a super-hero?" Miles asked. Nick shook his head at the juvenile question.

"No, I'm not. I'm not '_Sonic_' or whatever you were calling me. To be honest, I don't really know who I am anymore, or even what I am."

"... You're my friend!" Miles replied. The hedgehog smiled.

"Yeah... That's good enough for now. Come on, Tails; let's get going."

They crossed the bridge together and marched on through the woods towards their destination. Any doubts Miles had about Nick were now completely diminished after the latter's confession about his lost brother. He understood all the hardship Nick had gone through, and could only imagine how it would feel to maybe possess some kind of uncontrollable power within.

So not once as they trekked on through the forest did Miles refer to Nick as 'Sonic'. Not once did he even bring up what it was like to run so fast, or how the hedgehog did it. The fox simply treated him like he was a normal everyday hedgehog. He respected the fact that Nick didn't want to talk about it, or even think about it.

There was no ignoring it, though. They both knew, even though they would not speak of it, that there was something very special about the blue hedgehog.

In time, they came to another break in the trees, and saw nothing but miles of rolling grassy hills. Off in the distance, they could see the skyline of Mobotropolis emerging from behind the summits of the furthest hills.

The sky above them was crystal-clear; there was not a cloud in the sky, nor was there any sign of some kind of threat that resembled what had destroyed their villages.

They had made it. Mobotropolis was within their grasp, and they had found the city before it too suffered the same fate as their own homes had.

Maybe it would stay that way; one could only hope.

There was a storm coming, though, whether one could see it or not. A time of complete chaos was about to be unleashed upon Nick's and Miles's world, and within the midst of the madness to come, Nick would find out exactly who he was, or more importantly, _what_ he was...

A hero.

* * *

_**Thanks For Reading. More to come! **_


	7. Chapter 6: Information

**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 6: Information**

"Incoming transmission from E-102 Gamma. Incoming transmission from E-102 Gam..."

"Alright, alright! Gamma, what news do you bring me?"

In the center of a massive, steel room covered in computer screens and control panels of all sizes sat the mad Doctor himself.

Sitting in a large, well-padded, metallic seat, also covered in miniature screens, switches, and buttons, he eagerly awaited to hear the report from his machine in the field.

He leaned to one side, resting his elbow upon the armrest of his chair and rubbing his long mustache between his fingers.

"So, Gamma", said Robotnik, resting his head within his large, gloved hand, "what did you find out? Did you find Alpha's wreckage?"

There was a moment of silence. The sounds of the many computers and smaller robots roaming about the room, maintaining the many screens and computers, filled the cold air.

Finally the doctor's questions were answered as a monotonous, robotic voice broke through the com-channel.

"Affirmative."

Robotnik, still not moving from his slouched position, raised one brow.

"...And...?"

"E-102 Alpha has been destroyed. Current state: unsalvageable."

The doctor sighed.

"Blast. Twas a loyal machine, he was. But no matter; the real issue at hand is how, or rather, by _what_, his unfortunate demise was caused!"

A holographic screen appeared a foot away from the doctor's face. On the screen was a complete diagnostic readout for Gamma, and a live video feed of the machine's location.

"Did you salvage his data? Was his memory chip still intact?"

"Affirmative. Uploading now."

Within a few moments, the image changed on the screen the doctor's eyes looked upon. He could now see through the eyes of E-102 Alpha before his final moments.

Robotnik's fingers brushed over a small control panel, and searched through the video log.

When he brought the image to a halt, he saw a two-tailed fox cowering under the shadow of what had to be Alpha.

"That's... _interesting_", the doctor stated, noticing the fox's unusual deformity.

Then, within a second's notice, he saw a metal claw reach for the vulpine... but what he saw next really surprised him.

A blue hedgehog threw himself between Alpha and the fox, obstructing the machine from its target.

"Oh, we have ourselves a little hero here! How... _inspiring_." The doctor grinned.

He watched as the whole scene played out before him: Alpha striking the hedgehog in the head, knocking him out of the way, and then snatching up the vulpine.

Robotnik scratched his chin.

"So what could have gone wrong? Thruster malfunction? Perhaps he unintentionally smashed into an obstacle of some kind? Hmmm..."

Continuing to watch the video feed of the deceased robot, he tried to imagine all the different possibilities of malfunctions the mecha could have suffered.

Next, he could see Alpha darting through the trees. Given the elapsed time on the screen, the video was about to come to an end.

Suddenly, Robotnik noticed some kind of force causing all of the trees within Alpha's view to sway in unison.

The word "WARNING" flashed up on the screen; the machine's hull was alerting it that something was closing in on it, and fast.

The head began to pivot, shifting the view to the rear of the machine. However, before the mecha could even focus on what the incoming object was, the video ended. Static washed over the screen.

Now the doctor was very intrigued. It wasn't a malfunction after all; something actually managed to bring down his machine... But what?

He rewound the video, frame by frame, until he could see exactly what it was that had destroyed Alpha.

"Ah! Here we go. I think I see it. Enhance the image! It's nothing but a blur!"

The picture began to become clearer and clearer, until finally Robotnik could make out exactly what he was looking at. Then his eyes grew wide, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"No... That's... _impossible_!"

What he saw absolutely perplexed his highly-intelligent mind.

"How... How can this be?"

The image of a blue hedgehog, leading a massive dust cloud, was frozen before the bewildered scientist.

"Gamma, are you seeing this?!"

"Affirmative, Doctor."

"Good! Now your new assignment is to find that creature and bring him to me, alive! DO NOT FAIL ME!"

Before Gamma could even respond, the doctor closed the com-channel and sat back in his chair with his arms folded.

So many questions ran through Robotnik's mind. Did that blue creature really destroy his machine? How could he possibly move so fast? Was he the only one? Maybe the Mobians withheld secrets unknown to the Overlanders...

No, it didn't make sense. Already thousands of Mobians had been captured, and not a single one had shown any kind of extraordinary trait such as this. Perhaps this blue hedgehog was the only one possessing this... power? Perhaps... magic of some kind?

_No, that's foolish..._

Science and logic were no help in figuring out this conundrum bestowed upon the brilliant Doctor Robotnik. He did know the hedgehog race proved best for robotization, but this changed everything. Perhaps this blue hedgehog was the key to discovering an unlimited power of some kind...

The doctor stared at the still image of the hedgehog.

"Well, my blue friend, you may prove very useful with this power you seem to possess. I look forward to making your acquaintance."

For the first time in his life, the brilliant scientist couldn't have been more wrong.

__

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Dark, ominous clouds gathered over the sprawling cityscape know as Mobotropolis. This city was the pinnacle of the Mobians' effort to move forward as a race, as a civilization that shared residence on planet Mobius.

Rain was in the forecast, usual for this time of year. The sun was in the west. Daylight was slipping away as the looming buildings cast faint shadows on the crowded streets below.

The sidewalks were packed to the brim with Mobians. All different types of species made up the massive melting pot that was Mobotopolis. Given the time of day and the current weather at hand, the only thing on anyone's mind was to find shelter, whether it be in a nearby cafe, subway station, or simply home. It was the commute rush, a frantic mass effort to end the day by venturing home from whatever occupied the Mobians' daily lives: school, work, or simply a day out on the town. Whatever the reason be, the streets of the Mobian city were flooded with tired souls only wanting to seek refuge from the incoming storm that was looming overhead.

Then, beneath the thousands of footsteps, small blots of water began to collect upon the cold, hard, concrete streets and sidewalks; the rain had arrived as predicted. Most were prepared, opening umbrellas to protect themselves from the falling precipitation. Daylight faded a little more, and the numerous streetlights came to life with a quick flicker, soon settling into a steady warm glow. The light rainfall that was nearly invisible to the eye could be faintly seen within the illumination of the streetlights.

Soon, if one were to be looking from a window above, it was nothing but a sea of open umbrellas. Beads of water gathered upon everything in sight as the rain began to fall with a gradual, steady pace. The rain eventually started to pour from the heavens above.

A female hedgehog with a pink complexion made her way through the busy crowd. She held her own umbrella close and wore a heavy coat over her dress, as well as heavy matching boots, to keep warm during the storm. She shuffled along with everyone else, trying to make her way to her destination.

There was nothing worse than being caught in the rain, so the only thing on the girl's mind was to get home as soon as possible. No getting sidetracked today; no one would want to be outside in these conditions. Home: a comforting thought being the final 'period' at the end of a long, wearing day.

She continued to wander the sidewalks along with the crowd surrounding her. The female hedgehog smiled at the idea of sitting by a warm fire while being graced by the company of her family. Home was only a few blocks away. Her pace quickened.

Then, as she passed by an alleyway to her left, something caught her eye... or rather, someone. A blue hedgehog sat with his back against the cold, brick wall of the building behind him. A small fox with two tails stood before him, tugging on the hedgehog's arm and trying to bring him to his feet. Pleading cries could be faintly heard from the small child as the pink hedgehog now completely passed by the alleyway, the sight of the two individuals being stolen from her vision.

At first, she just kept on walking, moving with the constant ebb and flow of the crowd surrounding her. But what she saw just moments ago stuck with her. The rain crashed down ever harder upon the open umbrella held just over her head.

She then came to a halt, suddenly becoming an obstacle to all the others wandering the sidewalks. As the sound of rainfall echoed off the cold surfaces of the city, the girl glanced over her shoulder towards the alleyway she had passed by only moments ago.

Now she was debating in her head what she should do next. Just move on? Just leave behind what she had seen in that back alley? Leave them behind in the pouring rain as the sun set in the horizon and nightfall claimed the city for itself?

Anyone else would just keeping walking onward, without a second thought... but she was not that coldhearted. She wasn't like everyone else in this unforgiving city.

She made her choice. Besides, a two-tailed fox was definitely something one didn't normally see everyday.

__

__

"Nick, please, you said we were almost there! We gotta get outta the rain! Come on! Get up!"

Miles desperately tugged on the exhausted blue hedgehog's arm, trying to bring him to his feet.

The brutal fatigue had finally caught up with Nick. A few minutes ago, he had stumbled from the crowd into a deserted back alley and collapsed against the side of one of the buildings.

Miles could only panic as he watched his only friend nearly fall to the ground in a dead slump. The rain fell from above, soaking the fox's dirty orange coat as he tried to revive Nick.

"Nick! _NICK_!!!"

Miles shook him by the shoulders, until finally the hedgehog opened his eyes.

"Come on, Nick, please!"

Nick only mumbled a few words before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he nodded off once more.

"Ugh!" Miles tossed up his arms in frustration.

The fox threw one of Nick's arms over his shoulder and attempted to bring him to his feet. Even with all the strength he could muster, however, Miles couldn't even begin to lift his fallen friend up from the rain-soaked, concrete-paved back alley.

Giving up on that idea, Miles found himself standing once more before Nick, pleading he would wake up and help find their way to his uncle's house.

He eventually fell silent and just stared at the slumbering hedgehog, his heart starting to sink. He gave a quick glance up towards the stormy sky above him. He could see each breath he took take form in the freezing cold air that was making itself more apparent with each passing moment. The little fox gave a quick sneeze and shivered as he wrapped his arms around himself, placing a hand on each arm. He rubbed his hands up and down his upper arms, trying to create warmth from the friction he caused. Miles decided he had to try and get help for Nick; he had to get him out of the cold, out of the pouring rain. They both had to find shelter. If they didn't, they could both become ill... or worse.

But before he could even turn towards the crowd of people constantly passing by only a stone's throw away, a soft voice reached Miles's ears.

"Umm, excuse me..."

Miles spun around and found a pink female hedgehog, dressed in a heavy coat and red and white boots, holding an umbrella. She also wore a very concerned look upon her face as she spoke a few more words to the fox.

"Are you two okay?" She couldn't think of any other way to put it.

Miles slightly cowered before the pink hedgehog as he timidly approached her.

"N... No. My friend, Nick, you see... He's really, well, tired, and we've been traveling for a long time, and he just couldn't... Well, I think he's asleep. We were almost to his uncle's house, I think."

"Okay..." the girl replied, "where does his uncle live?"

"I dunno." The fox shrugged.

Something was very unusual here, besides the point of the vulpine standing before her having not one, but two tails.

The pink hedgehog raised one brow at the fox.

"Where are you two from?"

"I'm f... from Emerald Coast, and he's from... uh, Green Hill, I think... We've been walking here for days..."

"_WALKING_?! All the way from... Oh my gosh! You must be absolutely exhausted! No wonder he's passed out like that! I'm sorry, I had no idea..."

The pink hedgehog was shocked they had traveled so far only on foot. She glanced at the hedgehog, and then back down at the vulpine standing before her.

It was only then that she really noticed the despairing features of the small kit. A deep frown could be seen on his face, and his red eyes fluttered with each rain drop that fell on them. His fur was now completely soaked from the steady rainfall, smearing the dirt that was thick in his pale orange coat.

She felt as though her heart were being shattered into a million pieces.

"You're soaked to the bone! Oh, look at you, you're such a mess! I can't believe you came all the way from... Here, take my coat, please. You must be freezing!"

The girl slipped off her coat, which had been covering her red dress, and handed it to the shivering fox. She also handed him her umbrella, nearly forcing it into his timid hands; she wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

Now _she_ was the one without protection from the falling rain... but she didn't care.

"Thank you", said the fox as he carefully slipped each of his arms into the coat.

"Of course! Now let's help your blue friend here. We have to get him out of the rain! Now, where did you say you were going?"

"His uncle's house. He said his uncle's name was Chuck, Chuck Hedgehog. He said we were almost there!"

Suddenly, the eyes of the pink hedgehog widened.

"Wait, hold on... What did you say your friend's name was?"

"Nick."

The girl then looked over the blue hedgehog, and shook her head.

"No, couldn't be..."

"What? What is it?" The vulpine was now very curious.

"My father works with an older blue hedgehog named Charles Hedgehog, who also goes by the name Chuck for short. He and my father are good friends, and I remember him speaking of a nephew he had who lived in Green Hill, and... Oh my God, it couldn't be! This is Nick Hedgehog? This is his nephew!"

Small world.

The fox was lost in all the information he was receiving.

"So... what does...?"

"I know where his uncle lives!" the female hedgehog replied with an excited smile. "He's practically our next door neighbor in our apartment building!"

"R... Really?" The vulpine couldn't believe his ears. Finally, some good news.

He lunged towards the pink hedgehog, who was now becoming rain-soaked, and threw his arms around her.

"Thank you... so much! You have no idea what... what we have been through before finally getting to this stupid city." The vulpine choked out his words with sadness, frustration.

He then jumped back, his face turning red.

"Oh! I'm sorry! It's just..."

"No, no!" the girl interrupted with a quick laugh. "It's quite alright! Now let's get going! I can help you get Nick to his uncle's house! It's only a few blocks away."

"Okay. Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem! I couldn't just leave you two out here in the rain after I saw you like this... By the way, I don't believe I heard you say what your own name was."

"Umm, oh! My name?" The fox thought for a moment, then smiled and answered, "My name's Miles... but you can call me Tails! What's your name?"

Once more, the girl laughed.

"Tails? I like it. It really... fits."

"Nick thought of it! 'Cause I... You know; I'm sure you noticed..."

She only gave a warm smile in return and nodded.

Then the girl extended her hand towards the fox.

"My name's Amy. Nice to meet you, Tails!"

* * *

**_Thanks for reading. _**


	8. Chapter 7: Tall Tales

**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 7: Tall Tales**

It was a mess. Anywhere one might possibly look, clutter and a complete lack of order could be found. The jumbled chaos was scattered all over a fairly small apartment, complete with a decent-sized kitchen that was littered with many empty cups and plates, as well as a sink that was full of many assorted pots and pans. Across from the kitchen was the living room. An old TV with a bent antenna, a worn couch, and an old lamp that sat upon an antique table of sorts decorated the living space. Faint light from the fading sun seeped its way through dust-covered window shades as rain sheeted over the glass outside. Beyond these rooms were nothing more than a small bedroom and bathroom, which completed the small home.

All the rooms had one thing in common with each other, however, and it was the fact that they all shared the same exact mess that seemed to plague the floors and countertops of the apartment. The mess didn't consist of garbage and half-eaten food, but rather something more interesting. Computer parts, bolts and screws, tools and papers made up the disarray that lay upon nearly every surface. In one corner of the living room, an old record player rested. An old vinyl record spun as the needle dragged along its grooves, causing music to softly emit from its vintage speakers. The gentle sounds of a piano being played filled the room. The style was contemporary, yet classical in its own right. Music was the invisible backdrop for an apartment room that was acting as something more: some sort of workshop.

An elder light blue hedgehog sat in an old swivel chair that was placed before a metal desk. On the desk's cold surface sat a white workshop lamp, which beamed brightly over the hedgehog's task at hand. The Mobian wore a pair of spectacles that magnified a small microchip board resting before him. With a soldering gun in one hand, he carefully added to the board more chips and other assorted parts. He was so lost in his current task, so concentrated...

Charles Hedgehog was a brilliant man, a celebrated inventor who was the head of many organizations that made Mobotropolis a better place to live. Whether it be a new source of energy to power the city, or more advanced machines to purify the water supply, Charles was the man with the ideals which made these things possible.

He was a genius. However, for this hedgehog, it was a blessing and a curse. He was obsessed with his work, always trying to think of new ways to advance his many projects. His work followed him home, keeping him awake through the late hours of the night until finally he would pass out from exhaustion. He was absentminded, the ever-growing mess that surrounded him a testament to that notion. Work was his passion. He loved solving the never-ending plethora of conundrums that kept him from advancing in his research of whatever project currently at hand. It was to the point of obsessive at times. If something such as his coffee maker malfunctioned, he would take it apart and find the problem himself, and would not rest until he fixed it.

He was a detached person when it came to family. His wife passed away many years ago due to an unfortunate accident, and Charles took the loss with a complete lack of grace. The loss of a loved one is not an easy thing to overcome, however, so no one could lay any sort of judgment upon him. As he lived on, he became more and more absorbed in his work. Phone calls and meetings with friends and family nearly came to a complete halt. He hadn't talked to his brother or his family that resided in Green Hill miles from the city in ages, it seemed. Every now and then, he would glance up from his work and notice a picture of his wife who had passed on, or a recent framed photo of his two nephews that had been sent to him not long ago from his brother. He would then sigh and feel an overbearing feeling of loneliness and guilt: lonely for his wife, and guilty that he would never see the family that cared for him dearly. He never called, he never wrote... but he did care. His family was always somewhere in his scattered thoughts. Charles would never cease working, in fear that reality would catch up with him and he would have to come to terms with his neglect towards his family, as well as the one thing he could never fully accept: the loss of his wife. So everyday, he would lose himself in his self-appointed labor. The days would pass, the sun would constantly fade as the moon routinely rose and the seasons changed. He would never allow himself a break from his duties to appreciate the things that really mattered, not even once. He was a creature of unbreakable habit.

Little did he know that tonight was the night his unfaltering attention to his work would be broken once and for all.

A knock on a door broke the hedgehog's undivided attention to his work. He glanced towards the source of the sudden noise and raised one brow as he lowered his spectacles from his eyes. He never had visitors during the late evening.

He cleared his throat, and with a gruff voice, he called out, "Yes? Who is it?"

Immediately, a response was heard coming from the opposite side of his apartment's front door.

"Chuck, it's Amy! Open up! It's an emergency!"

Amy was like the daughter Charles never had, and he cared greatly for her. Her words caused his heart to skip a beat as he rose from his seat and dashed over towards the continuous knocking upon the door.

"Just a moment, Amy! On the way!"

Charles made his way across the living room, stepping over the large mess that made itself only too apparent throughout his apartment, until finally he reached the door. He disengaged the numerous locks and deadbolts, then grabbed hold of the doorknob and threw the door open.

His eyes grew wide at the sight he found on the other side of the doorway.

It wasn't Amy alone standing before him, but also a blue hedgehog and a small orange fox.

Amy and the vulpine were standing on either side of the blue hedgehog, each holding one of his arms over their shoulders to help him stand.

Charles's jaw dropped.

"Nick?!"

He was completely shocked. His nephew, whom he hadn't seen in years, now stood before him in his front doorway. He could see Nick was in bad shape, however. His head hung over, his quills were drooping and ragged, and he was covered in small cuts and bruises. On top of everything, all three of Charles's surprise guests were soaked from the rain.

The elder hedgehog was lost for words.

"Nick... My God, what's happened to you?! Please come in!"

The small fox spoke up.

"He's really tired! He just needs to lay down for a bit, that's all!"

They proceeded to bring Nick into the apartment. Charles took the place of the young fox who was trying his hardest to hold up his exhausted friend. The vulpine followed close behind as they carried Nick into Charles's bedroom and laid him upon his bed.

"Here, let me get some dry towels for all of you", Charles insisted. "You're all soaked to the bone!"

Nick was falling in and out of consciousness as they sat him upright on the bed and tried to dry his rain-soaked body the best they could. Soon after, they covered the young blue hedgehog with many blankets, until he was finally at peace and fell into a deep slumber.

"He should be fine now. Let's let him rest." Charles signaled for Amy and her fox friend to follow him back into the living room.

The elder hedgehog turned towards Amy.

"What is going on here? How did he get here? Where did you find him? How did you know to bring him here?" Charles rapidly fired many questions at the girl.

The pink hedgehog replied, "I... I found them in an alleyway off Main Street, just a few blocks from here."

"Them?" The light blue hedgehog guided his attention over to the vulpine, who was wrapped in blankets and was making himself comfortable upon the couch.

Amy nodded her head.

"I found... both of them out in the rain. The fox told me who Nick was, and I just knew he had to be your nephew. He looks just like the boy from the pictures you've shown me!"

"Yeah, that's him, alright. Why is he even here? Green Hill is miles and miles from the city! And he looks a total wreck! What in the world happened to him? We should probably take him to the hospital right away! He looks like he was in a fight of some sort!"

Suddenly, the small vulpine spoke a few words that one listening would find completely foolish:

"He beat up a robot."

Both Amy and Charles turned their heads towards the fox. They could only see the back of his head, as the couch was facing away from them.

"He _what_?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Miles looked over his shoulder, and spoke once more, "He beat up a robot, in the forest. He saved me."

Charles and Amy looked back at one another, confused expressions on both their faces.

The old hedgehog walked over to his record player and turned it off, bringing the room to a dead silence. Only the sound of rain washing up against the outside of the windows could be heard.

He then walked over to the child and stood before him. The vulpine timidly looked up at Nick's uncle.

"It's true", said the fox.

"Oh please, enough nonsense... What is your name?"

"M... Miles... I mean, Tails."

"Well, which is it?"

"...Tails. Nick gave me that name, because I have two."

At that moment, Charles nearly gasped as he realized the boy had not one, but two tails wrapped around him to keep warm.

The hedgehog brushed the unusual detail aside for the moment and spoke.

"Are you Nick's friend? Did you two run away from the village together? You two are in a heap of trouble if that's the case! Your parents must be worried sick!"

"Yes, Nick is my friend, but I only met him a few days ago! I found him in a river in the forest!"

"...You _what_?!"

"I saved him from the river, in the Great Forest!"

"But... what? Why was he in the river? Why were you in the forest alone? You're just a child!"

"I don't know why! I just had to save him!"

"You'd better start explaining yourself right this instant! I'm not in the mood to play games!"

Anger and frustration could be heard in Charles's voice as his tone became harsh.

Sensing his aggravation, Miles's ears folded backwards in fear, and he cowered before Charles.

"Chuck! Calm down! You're frightening him!" Amy stepped in; she couldn't allow Charles to lose his temper with the child. She could only imagine that Miles had been through just as much as Nick.

Charles then realized what he was doing and backed down. He still wanted answers though, and maybe Amy could get them out of the fox.

The girl sat next to Miles on the couch and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"Tails, it's okay, he didn't mean to get mad at you. He just cares very much about Nick, and he wants to know how you two got here. Do you want to tell us what happened?"

The vulpine cautiously looked at Charles, who now had his arms folded and a look of impatience on his face, then back at Amy, who had a much softer expression. Her warm smile eased Miles's nerves, and he began to release some of his anxiety.

With a heavy sigh, Miles began to tell them everything. He told them about the attacks on their homes by the mysterious flying creatures. He explained how people were stolen right from their homes during the late night hours. He told them of his escape into the Great Forest and the loss of all his friends. Every event that had happened within the last few days, he explained as best he could. Finding Nick in the river and saving his life, being rescued from the clutches of some sort of machine due to Nick's amazing power, and every other detail of their journey to Mobotropolis was told to the two hedgehogs.

But how could one possibly believe such a tall tale? Robots? The so-called "power" Nick possessed? It was just hard to imagine even in the slightest.

In time, the little fox fell fast asleep upon the couch. The hours passed by as the storm outside grew ever stronger.

Amy sat and watched TV, covered in a large blanket she found. Miles was by her side, fast asleep. Charles stepped out for a moment to buy some groceries for his kitchen; the sudden arrival of guests made him realize he was nearly out of any type of drink or food. In a short period of time, Charles returned home with a large paper grocery bag in hand, and found Amy still watching TV, keeping the slumbering fox company.

"Shouldn't you be home at this hour?" Charles asked as he stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him and setting all the locks into place.

"You don't mind if I hang around tonight, do you? I asked my father and he said it was okay. I, uh... told him your nephew was visiting."

"I'm not sure 'visiting' was an appropriate choice of word."

The elder hedgehog placed his grocery bag on the kitchen counter.

"Have you checked on Nick?"

"Yes. He's still sleeping."

"And the little one there?"

"Out like a light."

"Did you really believe _anything_ that... what's his name... _Tails _here said? I know children love to tell stories, but something about it made me really... uneasy. You could just see it in his eyes."

Amy glanced at the two-tailed fox and sighed. The warm glow of the television washed over him.

"I don't know, Uncle Chuck." On occasion, Amy would refer to Charles as "Uncle", given the fact that he was a lifelong friend of her father's.

She continued, "I really wish I could say that I knew he was just making it up. To be honest, a lot of what he said really scared me too. It just couldn't be true, though. He talked about things that sounded like they came right out of a science fiction movie!"

Chuck laughed, "Yeah, I know. In fact, I think I watched that movie the other night. Oh, and I loved the part about Nick being able to run really fast, or whatever Tails said. That I just _cannot _believe. Not a word of it can be true."

Charles proceeded to remove his groceries from the bag and stash them in their proper places in the kitchen. It was nearly midnight.

"Are you hungry?" Chuck asked the only one of his guests who was still awake.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, though." Amy looked over her shoulder and smiled at the hedgehog.

"Alright, suit yourself... Boy, Nick is going to have some serious explaining to do when he wakes up... Why would he run away from home like that? ... Oh! What am I doing?!"

Charles set down a glass bottle of milk he was about to drink from and ran over to the phone. Being as scatterbrained as he was, he didn't even think to call his brother about his son, who had mysteriously appeared at this door.

He held the phone to his ear and dialed the right number, which he knew by heart. Chuck waited for the usual dial tone... but then heard something that made him a little nervous.

A monotone voice was heard through the receiving end of the phone.

"_We're sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number, and try your call again."_

"What the... Hmm, must have dialed it wrong."

Once more, he pressed the numbered keys in the very same sequence in which he would always dial them.

The recording played once more on the other end of the line. Perhaps the phone lines were down at the moment, or maybe they were having trouble with them in Green Hill again. Maybe this was why he hadn't received a call from his brother about Nick's disappearance from home. Seemed to be a logical explanation.

Amy could see something was troubling Charles.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... It's nothing. It's just something wrong with the phones. Must be the weather."

As much as Charles wanted to believe himself, however, he simply couldn't. It just didn't make any sense at all. It would have taken the boys at least three days to travel to the city from Green Hill Village. He was sure that within those three days, his brother would have noticed his son was missing from their home. Three days had passed... with no call.

He tried once more to make the phone call, but yet again, he was denied by the recording on the other end.

The hours crawled by. In time, Amy fell asleep, leaning towards one end of the couch while Miles, the small orange fox, was still fast asleep on the opposite side. Soon, it was nearly 3 o'clock in the morning, and Charles's eyes started to feel heavy as he sat at his work desk, trying to keep his mind off of what the fox had told him.

It was just foolishness, every word.

Having nowhere to lay his head down to rest, he tried to continue on with the work he had been tending to early in the evening. His concentration was far from present, however. The more he thought about it, the whole event of Nick showing up at his door the way he had felt so surreal. Maybe he was dreaming; he hadn't been sleeping much. Some days, Charles felt like he was losing his mind a little more as time drudged on. Some days, he swore he saw his wife pass through the hallway. He wasn't being rational. He should have taken Nick to the hospital, he should have called his brother right away. Nothing is rational in a dream; sometimes you don't make choices at all. Sometimes things just happen, and you are just a bystander.

Charles glanced over at the couch. Sitting on that very couch was a two-tailed fox. He had never really thought about it until now. He had never heard of such a thing, someone being born with two tails like that. This two-tailed creature had spouted such nonsense about robots and his nephew having "superpowers".

Maybe this _was_ a dream. Maybe he would wake up soon.

That's all Charles wanted in life sometimes...

To wake up from it.

__

__

Nick's eyes flew open, along with a shape gasp of air and an uncanny sense of déjà vu. This wasn't the first time he had awoken like this.

His vision darted all around as he tried to figure out where he was. It was dark, and he could barely see through the thick blackness that surrounded him. He then realized he was laying in a bed, covered in many sheets and blankets. He was warm... maybe a little too warm. Slowly, he pushed away the many soft layers covering him and sat up.

The sound of rain could be heard. He looked to his left and saw light faintly glowing through a closed set of window blinds. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and shapeless objects surrounding him slowly began to fade into focus. A dresser, a nightstand, and an old TV were a few of the things he saw. For a brief moment, he thought he had woken up in his own room, back home in Green Hill... but the more his senses sharpened, the more that ideal faded.

An old alarm clock nearby showed the time in large red numbers.

4:50, it read.

Nick saw an old picture frame sitting next to the clock. He picked it up from the nightstand and held it to his eyes. He squinted hard, trying to make out the picture the frame housed.

He saw two figures, but in this darkness he couldn't make out what exactly he was looking at.

The blue hedgehog reached for a small lamp and switched it on. It gently illuminated the room with its soft glow. Nick squinted his eyes from the light the lamp gave off. Now he could see clearly who the two figures were in the picture frame.

It was a picture of Aunt and Uncle.

Nick gasped. He now realized precisely where he was and why he was there in the first place. All the memories of the past few days came rushing back to him. His heart started to race, he felt a light sweat on his brow, and panic nearly swept the hedgehog right out of the bed on which he was seated.

Nick leapt out of the bed, ran over to a nearby door and threw it open, yelling for his uncle.

"Uncle Chuck! Uncle..."

Nick hurried into the living room, where he saw his uncle lifting his head from a desk placed in front of him.

"Chuck! Wake up!" Nick ran over to his once slumbering relative.

As Charles lifted his head, his nephew rushed to his side, hysterically spouting words he could barely comprehend due to his sudden arise from sleep.

"Chuck, you gotta listen to me! The whole world has gone crazy! I don't even know if you're gonna believe anything I'm about to tell you, but we have to do something; we can't just wait around here! People are gonna..."

Charles held up his hand and silenced the boy with his sharp gesture.

Then he spoke, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in?"

Nick heard the question in a different context and replied, "Yes, but I don't think _you _do... Where's Tails?! Where is he? Tails!"

"Will you calm down? If you mean that two-tailed orange fuzz ball, he's sleeping over on the couch. What are you doing with that little squirt anyway?"

"He saved my life!"

Nick looked over towards the couch, which was facing away from him. His nerves softened when he saw Tails's head pop up. The vulpine yawned and blinked a few times, staring right at Nick. Then suddenly his eyes flew wide open as he realized who he was looking at.

"SONIC!" The fox jumped right over the back of the couch, stumbled over to the blue hedgehog, and threw his arms around him.

"You're okay!" Tails cheered.

Charles raised one brow and inquired, "What did he just call you?"

"Nothing, don't... worry about it." Nick just gave an awkward smile as the fox hugged him tight.

"Hey! You need to meet someone! She helped me find your uncle's house!" Miles announced with a smile.

"'She'?"

The vulpine grabbed hold of Nick's right wrist and lead him over to the front of the couch. That was when he first saw her. A pink female hedgehog, sleeping soundly and wrapped up in blankets on his uncle's couch.

"She's a heavy sleeper..." said the fox.

"Tails", Nick whispered, "Maybe we shouldn't..."

"AMY, WAKE UP!"

The girl shot up straight with a quick scream, her eyes flying open as she clutched the blankets covering her close to her chest. Nick stumbled backwards, while Miles didn't move an inch. The vulpine must have had a history of rudely waking people from sleep.

"What is it?! What's wrong?! What's..."

"Amy, look! Nick's okay! See?"

Miles pointed to the blue hedgehog standing right next to him.

Amy guided her eyes over to Nick and gave an awkward smile as she said softly, "Uh... hi."

Nick wanted to strangle Tails.

Before he could reply, however, the vulpine interrupted Nick with his childish enthusiasm.

"Amy, meet my best friend, Nick! Nick, this is Amy! She helped us!"

"Nice... to meet you, Nick."

"Nice to, uh... meet you too."

"Did you know Nick is a superhero?" Tails said with a grin.

"Tails, will you be quiet?!" Nick snapped.

"It's true! He..."

The blue hedgehog knelt down next to the fox and threw his hand over Tails's mouth, muffling the words he was trying to speak. Amy just gave a soft laugh at the child's comment.

Nick couldn't believe what his little orange friend had just blabbed out.

"Don't mind what he just said; he's got quite the imagina- HEY! OW!"

Nick pulled his hand away from Miles's mouth.

"Did you just bite me?! Why would you... Ugh, you little creep!"

"Well, I couldn't _breathe_! Your hand was over my mouth!"

"Hey!" Amy jumped in. "Don't call him a 'creep'! He's nothing but a sweetheart! He means well!"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"He just bit me!"

Amy leaned forward and responded, "Well, you were asking for it!"

"ENOUGH!!"

A booming gruff voice suddenly brought the room to silence.

Nick's uncle was now rising from his chair, a frustrated look on his face.

"Nick, bring your little friend over here and explain what's going on! NOW!"

The blue hedgehog grabbed the fox by the arm, and together they walked over to the former's very unhappy uncle.

"I'm waiting!" Charles said.

"Well... did he tell you anything?" Nick pointed at Tails.

The elder hedgehog scrunched his brow.

"Yes, he did, as a matter of fact. It was very entertaining. Now I want the truth, so out with it, Nick!"

For a moment, Charles reminded Nick of his father in his current demeanor.

"Your parents must be worried sick about you! Why would you run away from home like this? Nick, I just can't believe that..."

"If Tails already told you everything, then all you have to know is that he's telling the truth."

"Nick, this isn't funny! I don't believe for one second that _monsters_ destroyed your villages, and you... 'fought a robot', or any of that nonsense! Your father is going to be so disappointed in you..."

"CHUCK, THEY'RE GONE!" Nick interrupted his frustrated uncle. "If you wanna hear it from me, then fine! Three nights ago, these... machines... these creatures... I don't know what they were, but they came in the middle of the night during the storm that was passing over Green Hill. They tore right through our house! They took Alex, they took Mom and Dad... they destroyed everything! The whole village! I barely escaped, and-"

"NO! ENOUGH! Nick, I just don't buy this for a second! This isn't funny!"

"Well, do you see me laughing?" Nick retaliated furiously.

"Hey, don't get smart with me! You know, why don't you just continue on with your story, I really want to here your interpretation of the part where you fight the robot during your grand adventure to Mobotropolis!"

Nick gritted his teeth. He didn't remember his uncle being such a standoffish person. Then he felt a tug on his arm, and looked down to his side. He saw Tails looking up at him, pointing to his forehead.

Then Tails spoke, "Nick, the scar on your head! It's... it's gone!"

Nick was a little confused at first, then suddenly he remembered his encounter with the machine out in the forest. A vision of the metallic claw striking him in the head flashed before his eyes. The blow had left quite a mark. He placed his hand on his forehead and felt... nothing. Tails was right; it was gone.

The blue hedgehog looked himself over... and saw that each and every cut and bruise he had accumulated over the past few days was gone. If he didn't know any better, he would have sworn he was in near-perfect health.

Nick looked up at his uncle and saw confusion in his face. Charles did recall that Nick was in pretty bad shape when they brought him to his door in the first place. Now he didn't have a single mark on him.

One more tiny detail that shifted the odds in favor of the boys that they were, indeed, telling the truth.

"I told you he was a superhero!" Miles announced in Amy's direction.

Nick looked over and saw Amy slowing approaching him now. She looked him over, then started to shake her head in disbelief.

"You know, you _were_ pretty banged up when I found you... but now you don't even have a scratch!"

The blue hedgehog felt like he was going to be dizzy. It just couldn't be possible... but then again, one could say the same thing about everything else that had happened in the past three days.

"Damn phone is still out!"

In unison, Amy, Tails, and Nick looked over at Uncle Chuck as he slammed the phone receiver down once more.

"I've been trying to reach your folks, but the call never goes through", said Chuck.

Nick replied, "That's because there's nothing on the other end of the line! I told you, it's all been wiped off the map!"

"I need more proof than a dead phone line, Nick! I'm sorry! I need a little something more before I even begin to believe a word you have..."

Suddenly, the unthinkable happened. With the force of a wrecking ball, something exploded through the wall from the outside of the apartment. Broken drywall, shattered glass, and fragments of brick and wood flew through air as Nick, Amy, Tails, and Charles all fell to the ground, shielding their faces from the blast.

The room was thick with dust as they all coughed and sputtered, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

Nick came to his senses and found himself against the wall on the opposite side of the room, Amy by his side. He looked towards the source of the blast... and saw a ominous figure within the smoke that was slowly clearing.

Then the familiar sounds of some sort of machine rang through the apartment.

A red-and-black robot with a white chest plate and a yellow dome head emerged from the smoke. Down the side of its chassis, the title "E-102 Gamma" was printed vertically.

Nick's uncle was flat on his back, laying stunned as he stared at the intruder.

"IS _THAT_ ENOUGH PROOF FOR YOU?!" Nick yelled at Charles.

Amy screamed at the sight of the mecha.

Nick searched around for Tails, and saw the vulpine laying motionless on the floor a few feet away from him, covered in debris.

"TAILS!" Nick climbed to his feet and scrambled over to the fox.

The blue hedgehog scooped Tails up in his arms. Was he dead? There was no blood; he seemed to be in one piece.

The abrupt sound of a gun being ratcheted rung out, and Nick was now on the receiving end of the mecha's weapon-equipped arm.

"_Specimen: H132GH, Priority One. Hedgehog. Target acquired."_

It was only too clear who the machine had come for.

"He's here for me", Nick muttered, loud enough for the others to hear.

Amy was frozen in fear as she watched the machine aim its weapon at Nick's face.

The nightmare was reborn. His friends and family were in jeopardy once more.

A gentle cough was heard, and Tails opened his eyes. Nick looked down at the vulpine he held in his arms, and saw the kit was far from death.

Tails glanced at Nick, and then over at the machine. He gave a quick yelp and threw his arms around the blue hedgehog's neck, holding on as tight as he could.

"Nick! Don't let it take me! I thought you killed it!"

"No, Tails; he's not here for you. Don't worry."

Nick pulled Tails away from him, breaking his friend's grasp around his neck. He placed the fox on the ground, but as soon as he did, Tails jumped right behind the hedgehog, not daring to leave his side.

"Tails, go to Amy right now! Stay with her!"

"But Nick, I..."

"Tails, you have to trust me! Now GO!"

The fox started to back away slowly, then turned to run over to the girl. He fell into her embrace with a panicked cry and joined her in staring fearfully at the hulking machine that towered over Nick.

The blue hedgehog knew the machine would make its move any moment now, so he had to act fast.

He knew the machine would chase him if provoked; he knew the mecha would not rest until it captured him.

Nick decided he had to lead the robot away from this place. He wasn't about to risk his uncle's, Tails's, or Amy's life for even a second.

So just like on that fateful day his village was attacked for the first time by the machines, his instincts took over. It became as clear as it could possibly be to him what his only option was. He knew he had an edge; he knew he did posses some kind of power. He could only pray that he would figure out how to unleash it once more.

Nick widened his stance and gritted his teeth.

The mecha let out a haunting mechanical grown and lunged towards the blue hedgehog.

Time to run.

* * *

_**Thanks For Reading!**_


	9. Chapter 8: Your Anger Is A Gift

**Sonic Begins**

**Chapter 8: Your Anger Is A Gift**

A blue hedgehog smashed through a run-down wooden door at the end of a dusty, old hallway just outside the apartment in which his uncle dwelled. He picked himself up, looking left and right, trying to figure out what his next move would be. Upon climbing to his feet, he decided on a direction, and started running down the hallway in which he found himself. He sprinted as fast as he felt he could, pumping his arms back and forth, breathing in and out at a feverish pace. Although he was giving it all he had, however, he knew he wasn't moving as fast as he _wanted_ to.

Nick had only passed a handful of apartment doorways when the horror he had left behind smashed through the wall behind him. A robot labeled Gamma 102-E erupted through the exterior of his uncle's apartment, sending debris in all directions. The entire building nearly shook from the machine's actions, causing Nick to stumble forward. He caught himself with his arms outstretched and prevented himself from falling completely to the hard wood surface beneath him.

The blue hedgehog rose to his feet again, glanced over his shoulder and saw the mecha just standing there, covered in rubble, seemingly doing nothing more than assessing the situation at hand.

Suddenly, the sounds of live ammunition being fired from behind Nick filled the air. The hedgehog was approaching a corner that continued the hallway in another direction, bullets screaming past him as he ran. They tore up the wooden floor boards all around him, chipped drywall and other materials from the walls around him, and blew out a pair of windows that the machine's target was just about to pass by upon rounding the corner. Shell casings pooled around Gamma as they were ejected from the bullet chamber on the mecha's arm.

Nick ducked down and held his hands over his head as he sprinted onward around the corner, everything around him being torn to pieces. Suddenly, something ripped through his left arm and sent him spiraling to the ground with a frightened yelp. Next thing the hedgehog knew, he was on his back, holding his right hand over a wound on his left arm where a bullet had grazed him.

Gamma ceased fire upon losing sight of its target.

Blood seeped from the wound as the hedgehog gritted his teeth and lifted his hand from his arm.

"Aww man, this... this thing is trying to kill me!"

Nick gathered himself and climbed to his feet; he wasn't dead yet.

He could hear the thunderous footsteps of Gamma around the corner as it marched down the hallway towards its target.

"_Target wounded: Proceed with caution"_,Gamma commanded itself.

Now back on his feet, Nick was sprinting down the hallway as fast as his feet could carry him. If only he could move faster... He had to find a way to unleash the beast inside him once more, just one more time. He could do this; he had done it once before when he needed to most.

As Nick continued to make his way down the hall, Gamma was beginning to turn the corner, being guided by its armed appendage.

An elder chipmunk poked his head out of his apartment's front door. Upon sticking his head out, he saw a hedgehog jogging by, cradling his bloodstained arm.

"My God, are you okay?! Hey, wait!!!"

Nick looked back over his shoulder and yelled out, "You might wanna lock your door!"

"What the..." the chipmunk looked in the direction from which the hedgehog had just come... and saw Gamma.

His jaw dropped at the sight of the machine, and in a flash, he slammed his door and threw all the locks into place.

Gamma had the blue hedgehog in its sights. It knew he was wounded, and force was now only a secondary option. It couldn't kill the subject it was pursuing.

Nick tackled his way through a large steel door that led to the stairwell. He then came to a screeching halt, almost toppling over a stretch of railing that appeared in his line of vision right after he passed through the door.

The hedgehog felt his heart beating faster than he had ever felt it beat before. His hands were shaking, his legs were trembling, and blood was trickling from his wound onto the concrete floor underneath his feet.

Nick turned around and saw Gamma simply standing at the other end of the hallway. Suddenly, a small explosion erupted behind the robot, sending it barreling down the hall at breakneck speed.

"OH, CRAP!" The blue hedgehog forced the stairwell door closed, instinct telling him to create some kind of barrier between him and his pursuer.

Not the best idea.

Everything around Nick started to shake violently as the faint roar of Gamma's rocket booster grew louder and louder.

The blue hedgehog turned towards the railing behind him and, in a panic, threw all caution to the wind. He dove right over the railing just as Gamma exploded through the door, taking with it half the surrounding wall. The blast propelled Nick through the air seemingly in slow motion as pieces of debris fell all around him. Next thing he knew, he was slamming into a lower level staircase one story down, adjacent to the railing he had jumped over. He heard the door Gamma had catapulted right off its hinges slam into the wall above, then saw it tumble right down the middle of the square shaft outlined by the stairs.

Dust filled the stairwell from the destruction Gamma was causing. The hedgehog coughed and choked on the air around him as he tried to figure out whether or not he was in one piece.

Gamma, who was still one floor up, peered down at Nick, planning its next calculated move.

From the view of the machine's HUD, it scanned through the thick dust and had a clear sight of its target using its infrared vision.

The blue hedgehog staggered to his feet, supporting himself against the wall with one arm.

Gamma just stood there, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Rain was still falling outside, the sound of it sheeting over the steel-grated windows of the stairwell ringing true.

Nick simply stood in place, looking up at the machine, breathing heavily while still cradling his wounded arm.

So many thoughts rushed through his mind, all of them filled with uncertainty. What could he possibly do to escape this machine? Maybe it would have been better if he had just submitted to it in the first place; maybe then he would have gotten to see his family once more. Maybe...

Nick was still overcome with exhaustion. He just wanted this nightmare to be over with for good. He wanted to see his little brother again; he wanted to be with his family. He wanted his life back.

"WHY?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Nick screamed at the machine looming over him from above.

The hedgehog's angry cry towards the machine echoed around the stairwell, but he did not receive an answer of any kind.

Nick collapsed with his back against the wall and slid down it, falling into a sitting position. Still holding his right hand over where the bullet had grazed him, tears of sorrow and frustration began to well up in his green eyes. He knew he couldn't beat this machine; he knew he had lost.

Gamma was now slowly making its way down the stairs towards Nick. There wasn't nearly enough clearance for it to hover to the floor below.

Nick felt the ground shake with each step it took.

Soon, the machine was standing right over the broken hedgehog.

"_Specimen: H132GH, Priority One. Do not resist. You are due for... collection._"

Gamma lunged forward with its iron claw outstretched and grabbed Nick by the throat.

There was nothing the poor hedgehog could do; he was powerless against the machine's hold. He choked and thrashed his legs about, trying to break free, but he couldn't escape.

Then, suddenly, something strange happened. A spark flew from Gamma's head, and the mecha dropped Nick to the steps below. Upon landing, the hedgehog tumbled down a few steps before finally stopping on the large concrete slab that acted as the segue to the next staircase.

Gamma started to convulse madly. The machine began to thrash about, swinging its arms in all directions and smashing into everything around it. Nick watched in complete shock as the mecha went haywire right before his eyes. The robot soon lost its footing and came crashing down the stairs. Nick dodged out of the way just before it would have landed right on top of him. Rolling down the next set of steps, Nick grabbed hold of the railing and brought himself to a stop.

Gamma was laying on its chest plate, looking directly at Nick with its cold, metallic eyes.

Maybe the hedgehog had gotten lucky. Everything broke down from time to time... even a half-ton robot apparently.

__

__

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

Dr. Robotnik slammed his fist down upon the arm of his metallic chair. Only moments ago, he had watched his prized machine, E-102 Gamma, go completely haywire right before his eyes.

"He was within our grasp! That blue hedgehog was nearly mine, and one of my finest creations malfunctions?!"

The Doctor turned to another compact robot hovering before a computer console nearby, which was monitoring every piece of information received from E-102.

"Well?" he yelled at the bot. "I gave you an inquiry! A simple response would suffice!"

"_... Subject H210GH, within E-102 Gamma, is resisting neurological nullification process."_

Robotnik couldn't believe his ears.

"That... can't be! Never has a specimen rejected neurological nullification subsequent to successful robotization!"

Simply put, the hedgehog within the machine had a stronger will to live than the mad scientist would ever have imagined.

Robotnik pondered for a moment what this discovery could possibly mean for his future endeavors, and ultimately came to a decision about how to handle this possible quandary.

"I want you to segregate every machine containing a hedgehog. I need to isolate this problem; I don't need another incident such as this occurring during my next campaign. Everything must go smoothly these next coming days. The last thing I need is my creations going rogue and mucking things up!"

Robotnik peered up at the large screen before him and saw through Gamma's eyes. He could see the blue hedgehog he sought after sitting just a few feet beyond the robot's grasp. He then watched carefully as the hedgehog climbed to his feet and cautiously approached the mecha.

The doctor pressed a small button on his chair's console, activating a com-channel to Gamma.

"Actually... I've changed my mind; I'm in the mood for some entertainment! Gamma, if you're listening, kill the hedgehog! I no longer desire his capture."

Robotnik figured he could scare the creature into demonstrating his power once more.

No response.

The robot monitoring Gamma spoke in a monotone voice, _"Doctor, Gamma is not responding. H210GH is still resisting."_

"Well, that's just grand! You know... What was the boy's name? Ah, yes! I remember now: Edward! Well, I do believe we are giving Edward here too much room to... _breathe!_ I must admit, I am duly impressed with his will to resist and override the commands I give Gamma, but he is nothing more than the battery within my toy. Disengage the neurological nullification processes and raise power consumption to one hundred percent!"

Once a creature was robotized, they would take control of the machine into which they were inserted. Not by their own will, however; their ability to act of free will would be completely counteracted by a process carried out by a small CPU installed within each mecha. Every command the Doctor gave, the creature within would hear, and then command its robotic shell to carry out the order. Therefore, in all actuality, it was the Mobian's own mind acting as the mecha's main CPU, an organic mind hardwired into each and every machine. No CPU could ever process information even half as fast as a highly-developed organic brain.

If the orders the Doctor had just given were carried out, Ed would be free of the hypnosis of the robotization process, and Gamma's AI would take over completely. However, if the machine were to draw all the energy it possibly could from the Mobian inside it, the results...

"_Doctor, if power consumption is increased to maximum levels, there remains a ninety nine point nine percent chance H210GH will not survive for more than...ten to fifteen sixty second intervals."_

With an annoyed look upon his face, Robotnik leaned his head forward, rubbed his temple with his thumb and index finger, and sighed.

"That's precisely the _point!_"

__

__

Nick stared at the fallen machine, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief take him over. Gamma was simply lying before him as if it had completely broke down. Its eyes glowed with a vague color and its body still had a faint mechanical hum emitting from it, but there was no sign to indicate it would be getting up any time soon.

Suddenly, a sharp pain made itself apparent where Nick had been grazed by one of the machine's many flying bullets. Looking down at his arm, he could see the wound starting to close as the dry blood caked over it cracked and fell away.

Before he knew it, the wound was gone, as was the pain.

The blue hedgehog couldn't believe what he had just seen; he didn't want to believe it.

"This... This can't be! I'm just a normal hedgehog, that's all! Nothing more..."

Nick felt as though he were losing his mind from everything he had been forced to endure in the past few days. He was fed up with it all.

"This... This is all your fault!" he cursed at Gamma, still lying motionless before him. "You've taken everything from me! My family, my... my friends, my home... It's all gone, because of _you_! Why?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

Nick screamed at the top of his lungs, his clenched fists held out in front of him.

No response; the machine remained dormant.

The hedgehog picked up a chuck of broken concrete that was resting on the stairs nearby. With an angry shout, he hurled it straight at Gamma, and it smashed into the mecha's head with a loud clang.

"YEAH! You want some more?!"

He found another chunk of concrete to toss at the fallen machine. It didn't really seem to even scratch Gamma's paint, but it felt good.

Nick lobbed the piece of debris at Gamma, and once more it hit, then ricocheted off the mecha's chassis.

"You stupid... whatever the hell you are! ARRGGHH!" Another rock was thrown by the hedgehog, smashing into Gamma yet again.

Out of breath, Nick looked all around him, bearing witness to the mess Gamma had left behind. The air was filled with dust, and the stairwell was covered in smashed debris from when Gamma had charged through the wall.

The faint sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Maybe someone had called the cops... It would be impossible to make any kind of sense of this mess. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, though; one could doubt that the police wouldn't respond to a call stating, "A giant robot just smashed through my apartment complex."

Then, suddenly, something happened that struck terror deep into Nick's heart.

A muffled scream was heard coming from within Gamma. It sounded like the cry of an actual living creature such as Nick himself.

It was a shriek of agony, piercing the thick metal contraption that had brought a twisted change of reality to the blue hedgehog's world.

Suddenly, Gamma roared to life with the sound of a jet engine being ignited.

Nick stumbled backwards, taking a few steps down the staircase on which he was standing as the machine slowly climbed to its metal footing, its eyes glowing a deep, pulsating red.

The hedgehog now sensed his heart beating seemingly at a million miles per hour, feeling as though it were going to explode out of his chest. The machine had come back to life and was now giving off a powerful aura as if it were about to explode at any moment, like an engine of some kind within it were being pushed to the limit.

There was truth to that, however.

Little did Nick know, a fellow red hedgehog was screaming for his life inside the machine. He thrashed and convulsed as the mecha drew every ounce of power from his body, maxing out Gamma's energy readings. The red hedgehog's mind was still hardwired into the mecha, and he could see the faint image of Nick before him.

A haunting voice emitted from Gamma as the blue hedgehog froze in fear.

"What... are you... doing?! R... RUN!"

Shocked and confused, the blue hedgehog was lost for words at what was just "said" to him by the machine. It didn't sound like a robot at all; the voice had life to it, and what was more, it sounded awfully familiar...

Once more, an impatient command was yelled at the hedgehog, this time boasting the intensity of a roar.

"RUN!!!"

Gamma's power levels were through the roof now, and its rocket thrusters roared to life.

The cable that was drilled into the back of Ed's head, which was hardwiring his mind to the machine, broke free. He could no longer fight the commands issued to the mecha; E-102 Gamma was now under complete control of itself. The red hedgehog trapped inside couldn't see his friend before him anymore; all he could see now was the inside of Gamma's chassis and the horrors of the dozens of tubes and wires drilled into his body. His fur and flesh were bloodstained, twisted, and intertwined with the mechanical insides of Gamma.

The pain was nothing short of _blinding_.

Ed had fought off the commands given to him for as long as he could. He had brought Gamma to the ground, but now there was nothing he could do. He was nothing more than an oversized battery about to run dry.

Gamma's onboard A.I. sprang into action and assessed the commands last issued.

"_New orders received and processed... Specimen: H132HG, Priority One. Action: Termination."_

Ed heard the machine voice its new orders, and knew Nick wouldn't stand a chance.

"NICK! RUUUNNN!!" the red hedgehog shrieked as loud as he could. His voice-cracking scream was just loud enough to pierce the thick metal surrounding him and reach the ears of his terrified blue friend, who had also heard Gamma announce his own demise.

In a flash, the mecha raised its armed member and aimed down its sights, ready to take down its target.

Its machine gun loaded more ammunition from its reserves and ratcheted the chamber, expelling a bullet casing which sailed through the air seemingly in slow motion.

Nick watched as it sailed through the air, light glistening off the copper casing as it spiraled down the center of the stairwell and bounced off the concrete floor four stories down.

This was it; a feeling came over the hedgehog with which he was becoming only too familiar. All the fear surging through his body seemed to be screaming at him to run.

Run... like hell.

Gamma opened fire.

The blue hedgehog quickly dove down the next set of stairs, a barrage of bullets following his path. Time seemed to slow down as he sailed through the air and curled up into a ball. Each and every round Gamma fired appeared to be coming at a slower pace than the one preceding it. The mecha tried to keep up with its target, but he was moving way too fast.

Nick landed perfectly on both his feet at the end of the staircase and bolted down the next flight of steps as bullets continued to slam into the wall behind him, causing the concrete walls to crack and explode, sending dust and rock everywhere.

It was happening once more; the power Nick possessed was coming alive. He had no idea how or why; all he knew was that it was keeping him alive. It reached a point where he could hear the mechanical process of Gamma firing off each and every round: the bullet being loaded into the chamber, the hammer falling on the end of the round, the primer igniting and causing a chemical explosion that catapulted the slug through the nose of the weapon at a velocity which was lighting quick in reality, but not quick enough to keep up with the target the machine was pursuing.

Nick dashed down the long series of staircases as Gamma unleashed everything it had on him. The hedgehog dodged every single round that was fired at him with extreme prejudice. Before he knew it, he had reached the bottom of the stairwell and barged through a doorway leading to the main lobby on the bottom floor of the apartment complex.

The blue hedgehog came to a halt and looked left and right, trying to figure out where to go next. The option was clear. The elevators to his left acted as a dead end, while the front doors of the apartment building to his right... It was an obvious choice, but was it the right one? Leading Gamma into the open would expose him to the public; someone might be killed in the crossfire.

Suddenly, Gamma exploded through the doorway Nick had just passed through, once again taking out half the wall with it and causing the building to shake with a faint rumble. Before the mecha could even line up his sights once more, however, its target was already out the front door, having dashed off in the blink of an eye.

The hedgehog made his way down the front steps of the apartment building and into the streets of Mobotropolis. The rain was still falling at a steady pace as Nick hurried into the heavily populated area. The apartment was right in the middle of the downtown area, and despite the early morning hour, Mobians were everywhere.

"Oh, man... this is NOT good!" Nick said to himself in desperation.

The streets were occupied by numerous cars and busses, while the sidewalks were covered with countless civilians. This was the city, and for thousands of Mobians, the day started early.

Nick threw his hands over his head as he frantically looked around in a panic. He had no idea what to do next; there were people _everywhere._

Suddenly, a massive explosion sent the hedgehog flying through the air from where he stood, along with dozens of other innocent bystanders who happened to be wandering by at the moment. A massive fireball had erupted from the lobby behind him, blowing nearly the entire front side of the building to oblivion. The windows of nearby parked cars were blown out from the shock wave of the explosion, and the sounds of screeching tires filled the air, along with panicked screams of terror. Drivers of vehicles passing by slammed on their brakes and collided with one another at the sight of the explosion, while others veered off the road, crashing into lampposts and other things littering the sidewalk.

The ordinary, tranquil morning had just been thrown into complete chaos. Innocent Mobians scattered on the sidewalks within the blast radius, and others ran for their lives at the sight of what had just happened as the sound of approaching sirens began to fill the air.

Nick tumbled through the air and bounced off a car that had just screeched to a grinding halt. After leaving a dent in the car's hood, he fell onto the rain-soaked asphalt with a sickening thud. A high-pitched ringing sound pronounced itself in the hedgehog's ears as he lay shell-shocked on the wet pavement. His vision was blurry, his senses were dulled, and he could barely move. He rolled onto his stomach to face the aftermath of the massive explosion that had just taken place, and noticed a large silhouette looming through the rising flames.

Gamma emerged from the fire and slowly marched towards where its creator's blue prize lay sprawled out in the middle of the street among the panicked madness surrounding him.

Seeing the mecha make its appearance from the fire drove everyone watching into hysteria.

Gamma's arm-mounted weapon seemed to have taken a different shape; it was now bulkier and had a much wider barrel.

The mecha trudged on towards Nick as he struggled with all the strength he could muster just to get to his feet.

Daylight started to fill the sky as the rain continued to fall, drenching the poor hedgehog as he watched the mecha slowly step towards him, cracking the road beneath its metallic feet with each thunderous step.

Suddenly, Gamma came to a stop and swiveled its head to the left to see a fire truck and several police cars barreling down the street, racing directly towards it from about a block away.

Judging by the velocity at which they were approaching and their unchanged heading towards the mecha, Gamma saw the vehicles as a threat. He raised his one weapon-mounted arm at them and fired off a large, ballistic shell from its cannon. The round sailed through the air, and met the fire truck head on.

The large vehicle exploded and lifted off the ground, spiraling through the air, now nothing more than a flaming wreckage. The blast caused the surrounding police cars to careen out of control in every direction. The demolished fire truck slammed into the ground, rolling and tumbling towards Gamma. It slid along the asphalt and came to a stop only twenty feet away from the machine.

Smoke rose into the sky, and Mobians screamed for their lives as they fled from the chaos and havoc Gamma was wreaking upon its surroundings.

Nick rolled onto his back as his vision slowly started to come back into focus. His hearing was still somewhat muffled, but the faint ringing in his head began to fade, allowing the sounds of everything happening around him to flood his ears.

A shadow loomed over the hedgehog. It was Gamma, staring down at him with its glowing red eyes.

__

__

"OH HO!! Ehehehahahah! Oh my, this is just... I must say, the exuberance I feel is overwhelming!"

Dr. Robotnik watched the havoc his creation was wreaking upon Mobotropolis unfold before his eyes on a large screen within the bridge of his ship.

"Such firepower, such destruction, such... such _results!_ I might as well have Gamma bring down the whole city while he's present. Now, as for this hedgehog, I'm not impressed from what I have witnessed thus far. He demonstrated his high velocity movement only once during this episode. It appears even he doesn't know how to utilize it accordingly! Perhaps he would be nothing more than a waste of time..."

The doctor scratched his chin, and tapped his fingers on one of the arms of his large metal chair.

"I must admit, however," he continued in a deep, gruff tone, "this creature is a lucky one indeed. He still manages to breathe even after having nearly a thousand rounds of ammunition fired at him!"

Through Gamma's eyes, Robotnik watched the machine aim its weapon in the face of the dazed blue creature.

"Oh now, pause for just a mere moment, Gamma! As much as I would love for you to stain the asphalt with this blue creature's brain matter, I think I'm in the mood for a little fun! Make an example of him! He destroyed one of your fellow brethren! Doesn't that agitate you even the slightest?"

Gamma lowered his weapon... then grabbed Nick by the throat and lifted him from the rain-soaked streets.

"These hedgehogs, as strong-willed as they are, have proven to be nothing more than potential problems for me and my future research. But no matter how strong his will may be, it can be broken... and Gamma shall be the one to break it. This blue hedgehog will be the first example that one simply does not trifle with the great Dr. Robotnik!"

The doctor smiled an evil, twisted grin.

"Alright, Gamma, break him in half!"

Robotnik watched as the mecha threw the hedgehog with all its might and sent him sailing about twenty feet through the air. Bystanders watched in fear as Nick curled up into a ball while flying through the falling rain, then smashed through the windshield of an idle, abandoned car in the middle of the street.

"Oh, that must have felt quite unpleasant! I assume my perceptions about this creature were nothing but of false nature. Sorry, Edward, my child; you had such a promising future as Gamma's doppelganger. Your time has nearly run out."

__

__

The faint sound of a heartbeat was all Nick could hear as he lay in the backseat of an old, beat-up taxi cab. Covered in broken glass with blood trickling down his face, he felt he was just as shattered as the window through which he had been catapulted a moment ago. A single thought crossed his dazed mind: whatever did he do to deserve this punishment?

Perhaps, had he been taken with his family during the attack on Green Hill, he wouldn't be in this situation now. He wouldn't be lying broken in the backseat of an old car, waiting for some monstrous machine to come finish him off. He wouldn't be separated from his family, who probably needed him now more than ever.

But how could he know? His family might be dead, or worse, if the scream that had come from inside Gamma served as any indication. The very idea of such a fate pierced Nick's soul with incredible anguish. The visions of his father, mother, and helpless little brother being forced into metallic coffins flashed before his eyes.

"No... That can't be... It can't be true..."

The scream he had heard... It was real; there was something, or rather, someone, within that machine. For that reason alone, one could only assume the worst.

Nick rolled onto his side, the sound of broken glass crunching beneath him. He peered through the large gap previously filled by the windshield through which he had just been thrown. He saw his attacker just standing there, possibly waiting for its target to show some sign of life before advancing once more to take it.

But Gamma was no longer occupied with the blue hedgehog. It now turned its attention to the innocent Mobian bystanders... and opened fire. The sounds of gunfire and explosions began to shake the downtown area of Mobotropolis.

To his eternal horror, Nick felt responsible for leading the terrible machine to Mobotropolis. Many would now die by the hands of E-102 Gamma, and it was all his fault.

Suddenly, someone threw open the car door closest to the hedgehog's head.

"Oh my God; he's still alive! Come on, let's get him out of here before that thing starts shooting at us!"

A raccoon dressed in a paramedic's outfit grabbed the blue hedgehog under his arms and dragged him out from the backseat of the abandoned taxi cab. Next thing he knew, Nick was being rushed on a stretcher to an ambulance parked around the corner of a nearby building, while dozens of police cars stormed the scene.

"Hey! Where are you taking him?! Stop!"

"Tails! Come back here!"

The hedgehog glanced to his side to find a small orange fox running towards him. Amy and Uncle Chuck were running close behind the vulpine, chasing after him.

Just as the blue hedgehog was about to be loaded into the back of the ambulance, the orange fox pleaded for the paramedics to stop.

Tails, Amy, and Uncle Chuck had escaped the apartment complex during an evacuation through the stairwell on the opposite side of the building. They hadn't seen much, but they had heard the explosion that leveled the ground floor, and had turned the corner of the rear of the building just in time to see Nick fly through the air and smash through the glass windshield of the abandoned taxi cab parked in the middle of the road.

"Come on, kid, beat it!" one of the paramedics snapped at the frantic child. "We need to get this guy to the hospital!"

"No! You don't understand! He doesn't need to go; he's fine! He has to kill that robot! He can do it!"

"Kid, that robotnearly killed him! It's a miracle he isn't already dead! You need to get outta here anyway! It's dangerous here!"

Another explosion shook the block, causing everyone on it to duck down with their hands over their heads as they tried to flee from the scene as fast as they could.

The paramedic glanced at Amy and Chuck.

"Does this kid belong to you? Take him and get out of here!"

The elder blue hedgehog stepped forward and pointed towards Nick.

"He's... He's my nephew! Is he going to be...?"

"LOOK; if you know this guy, then come with us! We gotta leave, _NOW_!" The paramedic was losing his patience with all the hold-ups.

Tails, however, was still at a disagreement with the situation.

"NO! HE'S FINE!" The young fox dodged around the paramedics surrounding his friend and stood by his side.

"Come on, Nick! You have to fight that robot! I know you can do it; I've seen you do it before! Don't let it win, please! Are you gonna let 'em take everything from us, just like that?! Remember your home? Remember your family? Don't you remember your little brother, who you said was just like me?"

Nick turned his head to the side, meeting eyes with the fox.

"Tails... I... I can't. I don't know how..."

"That didn't seem to matter when you saved me! Come on, Nick, please! Do it for me, just one more time! Do it for all of us! We need you! I know you can help us!"

Another explosion erupted nearby, sending a huge fireball shooting upwards towards the morning sky.

More screams, more gunfire. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the robot, which was clearly overstaying its welcome.

Everyone listening to Tails was confused by what he had just said. What could this battered blue hedgehog possibly do to stop that crazed machine?

Nick glanced first at Tails, who had tears in his eyes, then over at Amy, who had a look of mixed confusion and uncertainty on her face. This blue hedgehog was nothing but a mystery to her, and after what the two-tailed fox had said, the mystery only went deeper.

Uncle Chuck was all for the idea of leaving the area as soon as they could; he saw nothing more than his nephew hanging on for dear life while chaos continued to spread around them.

Nick witnessed visions of his past flash before his eyes: the village where he had grown up, the family who had raised him, the day his little brother was born... and the day when it had all been taken away from him, before he even had a chance to say goodbye.

They were gone... forever.

Never to be seen again, just like that.

They say life is unfair... but it was never meant to be _this_ unfair.

Nick could only imagine that it was just a matter of time before the city was attacked. It made sense; Gamma was already here, going on a rampage, perhaps waiting for others to come and join him.

Life isn't like this.

Soon, millions of lives would be at stake, everything would be destroyed, and, just like Green Hill village, nothing would be left.

It was so frustrating, so infuriating to Nick, that he was ready to scream. He wanted his life back; he wanted everything to be back to normal. He just wanted out of this nightmare.

No such luck. He wasn't going to wake up from this; instead, he would become one of the millions to be hunted down by the machines.

The blue hedgehog clenched his fist and sat up, baring his teeth.

"Whoa! Take it easy, man! We're gonna get you to the hospital!"

Nick looked the paramedic who had spoken dead in the eyes, and simply muttered determinedly, "No, you're not."

The hedgehog rolled off the stretcher and stood on his own two feet. He felt his strength returning to him as his anger fueled his will to do anything but lay down and die. He wasn't going to forget where he came from, he wasn't going to just claim defeat, and he sure as hell wasn't going to wait to be hunted down like some inferior creature.

He could feel his blood boiling. He was ready to give it one last try, to unleash the beast inside of him.

Nick marched onwards, away from the safety the ambulance promised and towards the war zone Gamma had created. It was now clear to him that he was much more than an average hedgehog. He should have died by now, but in reality, he was far from being six feet under.

Everyone around the ambulance looked on in shock as the blue hedgehog limped forward. He rested his arm on the corner of the building that hid them from the view of the machine, which was now only a few blocks away, still randomly destroying anything in its path.

Nick peered around the edge of the building and saw the mecha he was about to face. He then felt a presence behind him, and looked over his shoulder to find Tails, Amy and his uncle all standing right behind him, along with the other individuals who had witnessed the hedgehog refuse to be taken away.

"You're actually gonna do it?" Tails asked. Nick nodded his head.

"Yeah, but no matter what happens, Tails, you stay here, okay? I don't know if I can really do this, and I don't need _you_ getting hurt too, or worse."

Tails scrunched his brow.

" Fine, but I'm not saying goodbye. I _know_ you can do this!"

"I'm not saying goodbye either. At least, not to you."

Confused, the vulpine replied, "What? What do you mean?"

"Can you do me a favor, Tails?"

"Sure, Nick!" the fox timidly responded. "An... Anything!"

"Don't call me 'Nick'."

Tails was shocked at the request, knowing exactly what his friend wished of him.

Then the hedgehog left the others behind as he walked out into the street to meet his fate, armed with nothing but his fists, his anger, and a will to avenge everything that had been taken from him. He walked onward towards the defining moment in his life: the moment when he would leave who he thought he was behind, and become something more.

A commotion broke out amongst those who were now watching the blue hedgehog make an attempt to face the machine. They pleaded for him to come back, to join them in retreat, but he ignored them all. His uncle was being held back by others as he struggled to chase after his stubborn nephew. There was nothing stopping him; nothing would change his mind.

The blue hedgehog reached the middle of the street and turned to face Gamma, who was hundreds of feet away, currently tearing a car in half.

He cracked his knuckles, cricked his neck, and wiped away the crimson stains that had washed over his face only moments ago.

He inhaled heavily, then exhaled with a shaky composure.

This was it.

"HEY, YOU BUCKET OF BOLTS!"

Despite the distance between them, the hedgehog's taunt still captured the attention of the machine.

Gamma turned to face the direction from which the call had come, then aimed its cannon, resting its sight over the blue creature it thought it had disposed of earlier.

"Yeah! You surprised to see me? You know, you guys are really starting to piss me off!"

A newfound attitude came over the hedgehog; he felt he couldn't care less if this machine blew his head clean off right there and then. He wasn't about to blink first. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore; his walls had already come crashing down around him days before this moment. He had already been pushed past the brink, and he was never coming back.

He looked all around him, a witness to the destruction Gamma seemed to be causing for no reason at all. Torched cars with smashed-in roofs littered the roads, and buildings were ablaze from all the explosive ammunition shells launched into them. The streets were nearly deserted now; Mobians had either fled the area, or found shelter in the surrounding buildings. Some weren't as lucky, however; bodies littered the streets and sidewalks, some seeming to be truly devoid of life while others simply played possum, hoping the machine would move on. The police didn't stand a chance; nearly all of them ran for safety, or were gunned down trying to face off with the machine.

Gamma ignited its thruster and hovered above the ground, revving up its engines to full power. The blue hedgehog widened his stance, gritting his teeth and scrunching his brow.

"Alright, you pile of scrap, let's do it to it!"

Amy placed her hand on Tails's shoulder, and asked him, "What did he mean by that, Tails? Why doesn't he want to be called by his name? And what could he possibly do to stop that thing? Why is he doing this?!"

The little two-tailed fox just looked up at the pink hedgehog and smiled.

"Because he's not scared anymore."

Another member of the small crowd watching the mysterious hedgehog face off with the machine heard Amy's comment, and added one of his own.

"Yeah! He's just a hedgehog! What could he possibly do to stop that... _machine_? Who the hell does he think he is?!"

Tails turned towards the speaker of the unfaithful comment, and simply replied:

"He's Sonic."

Kneeling down, the blue hedgehog assumed a 3-point stance, one hand placed on the ground. Suddenly, a massive aura of energy could be sensed around him, causing all the debris around him to shake and rattle more intensely with each passing moment.

"Sonic the Hedgehog."

As soon as those words left Tails's mouth, something incredible happened.

The hedgehog let out a great battle cry and bolted from his spot as fast as a lighting bolt, producing a massive invisible shock wave that tore the sound barrier in two.

The spectators of the battle were knocked right off their feet from the force of the amazing phenomenon.

In a matter of seconds, running at supersonic speed, the blue hedgehog reached Gamma, who didn't even have time to process how fast its target was approaching.

Sonic then changed his focus, time seeming to slow down for him. He jumped into the air, curled into a ball, and slammed right into his target's chest.

The impact of the blow was so intense, it sent the machine flying backwards hundreds of feet. It slammed into a bus that had been abandoned in a nearby intersection due to Gamma's earlier rampage. Upon impact, the bus nearly folded in half as the mecha smashed into it and tore right through the center of the massive transportation vehicle. Twisted metal, glass, and miscellaneous objects from within the bus exploded out the other side along with Gamma.

The machine lost its weapon-mounted limb in the process of crashing through the bus, and its legs were heavily damaged upon impact with the ground. Sparks flew and smoke seeped from Gamma as it tried to upright itself.

Suddenly, the mecha noticed a flash out of the corner of its eye, and once more, Sonic slammed into its side at a speed not even jet engines could reach in such a short distance. Gamma was sent flying yet again, but this time, the blue hedgehog ran right below it as it careened out of control at high speed through the air.

Sonic rocketed past his target, gaining a lead, then turned and smashed into the machine once more, knocking its head from its metal shoulders and cracking its chassis wide open.

The remains of E-102 Gamma slammed into the ground, bouncing and crashing out of control, robotic parts of all kinds tearing from its shattered metal body.

Nothing but a smoldering robotic husk was left.

Through the pouring rain, the drenched blue hedgehog approached the mangled remains of Gamma. He looked like had been through hell and back, and felt like he was going to be violently ill from moving at such high speed. He couldn't believe he had managed to do it. He had found the secret to his power; he had discovered the metaphorical switch needed to unleash it. It was the burning anger within him. He would get so lost in it, and it would build up to such an uncontrollable feeling, that once he let it all go, everything in his mind was crystal clear on another level. It was something no one could ever possibly understand.

Sonic found himself surrounded by the destruction the machine had caused as he wandered on. Soon, hundreds of Mobians began to emerge from hiding. They had witnessed what the blue hedgehog had done to the machine, and it left them all in shock and awe.

Then, something caught the hedgehog's eye: something far from robotic was hanging out of the machine's wreckage.

It was the arm of a Mobian.

Running at a normal pace, he quickly made his way over to the intriguing sight. Upon reaching the dismantled robot, the blue hedgehog grabbed the edge of the chest plate that was now broken from its welded seal, and swung it open.

What he saw next would haunt him till the end of his days.

A red hedgehog lay limp within E-102 Gamma. Tubes and wires punctured his skin, blood seeped from his eyes and ears, and he had numerous gaping wounds from which several of the tubes surrounding him had broken free. But there was a far more disturbing fact about the horrid sight the blue hedgehog was witnessing: the creature within the machine was still alive, and even worse, it was someone he knew.

"NOOO!" a voice-cracking shriek escaped Sonic's throat.

He stumbled backwards, holding his hands over his face. There actually was something more to this machine than mechanical parts, and out of the thousands upon thousands of Mobians that were taken, it had to be one he knew, one he had grown up with.

Tears began to flood Sonic's eyes. He couldn't bear to take a second look... but he had to; he needed answers. He needed something to help him make some sense of what had been happening the past few days.

Slowly, he approached the ruins of Gamma again, and met eyes with his thought-to-be-lost friend.

Ed was shaking madly, going into shock... but he knew who was standing over him. He knew it was a face he thought he would never see again.

"N... Nick. You... You did it..." Ed spoke weakly.

The blue hedgehog reached out and took his friend's hand in his, holding it tight. He could feel the life being drained from the red hedgehog with each moment lost.

His voice trembling, the blue hedgehog asked, "Who... _did_ this to you?!"

Coughing and sputtering, Ed replied, "An Overlander. He calls himself Dr. Robotnik. He's doing this... to all of us. He's going to destroy... ev...everything..."

"Why would the Overlanders do this?"

"No; it's just one man, an outcast. He's taking revenge on the entire planet... and he's starting with us."

A moment passed; Sonic just didn't know what to say. He didn't feel like he had won; he simply felt as though for everything he had tried to make right, he was being punished.

"I tried my best to buy you time; I fought the machine from within... but he pulled the plug, and I was helpless to resist. He knows about your gift... and now that he's seen it again, it's not just gonna be one of these things sent after you. You're nothing but a threat to him now."

Ed started to convulse and cough up even more blood.

"No... No, Ed, please... Do you know what happened to my family? Alex? Please, do you-"

"They're all gone. I'm sorry; he butchered us all."

Sonic hung his head over and shut his eyes tight, trying to avoid completely breaking down from the news he had just received from his dying comrade.

Suddenly, Ed's grasp around his own hand tightened, and the poor red hedgehog let out one last, mournful groan.

Then he was gone.

He had only lived long enough to deliver the news the blue hedgehog hadn't wanted to hear.

His hand grew limp in Sonic's, then slid out of the latter's grasp.

As Ed passed on, however, a part of the blue hedgehog died as well: the part of him that hoped to be with his family once more, the part of him that hoped for a chance that life would go back to the way it was.

That was the day that Nick Hedgehog disappeared forever.

The anger was gone.

The mourning was gone.

The hope was gone.

Nick Hedgehog, in a sense, was dead, and the only part now left of him...

Was Sonic.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!_**


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